Walker & Dunlop Hires Mark Besharaty to Lead a Multifamily Small Loans Initiative

BETHESDA, Md., June 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced that it has hired Mark Besharaty as Senior Vice President and Chief Production Officer to lead a new initiative focused on multifamily small loans. Mr. Besharaty has originated over $2 billion in overall commercial real estate volume over the course of his career, including $1 billion of multifamily loans.

"Fannie Mae^® is thrilled that Walker & Dunlop has decided to enter the small loan space with Mark's leadership," said Ann Atkinson, Director in Customer Engagement for Fannie Mae. "Walker & Dunlop is a tremendous partner of Fannie Mae's and together we look forward to growing this part of our business." 

Mr. Besharaty will be based out of the company's Irvine, California office and his capabilities will provide the basis for Walker & Dunlop's expansion into the multifamily small loan space. The market is growing rapidly, with GSE volume rising 57.8 percent from 2016 to 2017, representing $10.1B in transactions for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Multifamily small loans provide sustainable and affordable financing solutions for smaller properties, typically key sources of housing for working families needing proximity to transportation and jobs. Small loans are typically defined as $3 million or less nationwide, or $5 million or less in higher-cost markets. With Mr. Besharaty's leadership, Walker & Dunlop will meet the financing needs of property owners in secondary and tertiary markets and plans to be particularly active in the western region, including Alaska and Hawaii.

"Mark has over 25 years of commercial real estate experience with a history of proven excellence in multifamily small loans, commercial mortgage operations, construction financing, and originations," said Don King, executive vice president of Multifamily Finance for Walker & Dunlop. "The multifamily small loans space is very exciting for us – it has a unique borrower profile and provides an opportunity to offer more affordable options for renters. We look forward to Mark's addition making a meaningful impact."

Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Mr. Besharaty served as Director in the Small Balance Commercial Real Estate Lending Group at Hunt Mortgage Group. There, he led a team of originators and analysts responsible for the origination of small balance loans for commercial real estate and multifamily housing properties. Prior to his time at Hunt, he served as vice president for MUFG Union Bank where he was recognized as one of the top producers for a team that successfully implemented multiple projects while growing production volumes.

Walker & Dunlop is a leader in the multifamily lending space, ranking as the #1 Fannie Mae DUS^® Lender and the largest non-bank affordable multifamily lender in the United States in 2017. To learn more about our financing capabilities, visit our website.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate services and finance companies in the United States providing financing and investment sales to owners of multifamily and commercial properties.  Walker & Dunlop, which is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, has over 650 professionals in 29 offices across the nation with an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.

SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc.

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