Audio: Berkadia’s Ernie Katai Talks Firm’s Expansion
By Guelda Voien May 29, 2014 4:22 pm
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Last week at the International Council of Shopping Center’s RECon, Mortgage Observer sat down with Ernie Katai, the head of production and an executive vice president with Berkadia Commercial Mortgage.
Mr. Katai’s firm made its name in the multifamily lending sector, an area where it is the third-largest servicer nationally, according to published reports. But Berkadia recently renewed its focus on the retail sector. So the annual mega conference, which was held May 18 through 21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, was a natural venue to get the skinny on the firm’s plans going forward.
Mr. Katai, who took over as head of production last February, previously led the Detroit office. Now, he is working on growing Berkadia and integrating the sales and lending platforms, he said.
Berkadia, a joint venture between Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Leucadia National Corporation formed in 2009, prides itself on offering access to capital quickly—a service rarely available with such a large company but possible because Berkadia is privately held.
[protected-iframe id=”9a397bc329463c223b860a4d3f201bf3-39571588-62558027″ info=”https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/151872896&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ scrolling=”no”]Click here to listen to our audio interview from February 2014 with Prudential Mortgage Capital Company’s Michael McRoberts on the future of multifamily lending.
