Commercial and Multifamily People in the News Jan. 12, 2023

M&T Realty Capital Corp. Names Sandy DeFelice FHA Platform Manager, Leslie Duchene FHA Chief Underwriter

M&T Realty Capital Corp., Baltimore, named Sandy DeFelice FHA Platform Manager. She will oversee and manage FHA opportunities and grow the M&T RCC FHA program. 

Sandy DeFelice

DeFelice has been with M&T RCC for more than 20 years and has held several roles within the organization. She was previously in the Fannie Mae underwriting department and quickly transitioned to FHA underwriting where she received MAP and LEAN Underwriting certifications from HUD. Shortly after, she was promoted to Deputy Chief FHA Underwriter. In 2016, she transitioned to loan production. Through her ability to cultivate relationships with in the private and public development sectors, she has financed over $3 billion in multifamily affordable and conventional financings as well as seniors housing and healthcare financings.

Notably, DeFelice successfully financed the construction of a market-rate assisted living and memory care center via the HUD 232 New Construction program during the COVID pandemic.

Leslie Duchene

M&T RCC also announced that Leslie Duchene joined the company as Managing Director / FHA Chief Underwriter. She is responsible for credit/risk oversight, compliance, quality control, budgeting and team management for the day-to-day underwriting activities and personnel for the FHA platform.

Duchene has nearly 28 years of commercial real estate finance and title insurance experience and more than 25 years specialized in FHA-insured finance for multifamily and healthcare. Her experience includes all facets of FHA financing for multifamily and healthcare including affordable, LIHTC, construction and substantial / moderate rehabilitation. While Duchene has experience in underwriting all FHA Insured MAP eligible programs, she has focused on affordable housing including financings with LIHTC, Tax Exempt Revenue Bonds and 501(c)(3) Bonds, Section 236, Section 202 and has served as a member of the City of Loveland Colorado Affordable Housing Commission.

Prior to joining M&T RCC, Duchene was the Managing Director and FHA Program Manager for CBRE’s FHA Lending Platform, where she was responsible for driving production growth, overseeing the FHA multifamily and healthcare underwriting teams and ensuring connectivity across the FHA platform. During her roughly 14-year career at CBRE, she helped grow and lead the Platform as Chief Underwriter since 2009.

Before CBRE, Duchene was the Chief Underwriter for AmeriSphere Mortgage Finance, now known as Northmarq, overseeing the company’s underwriting and credit risk functions for the FHA division based in Denver. She helped start the FHA-insured division for AmeriSphere in 2006.

Northmarq Welcomes Two Senior Vice Presidents to the Omaha Debt/Equity Team

Northmarq’s Omaha office added Jamison Whiston and Kevin Regan as Senior Vice Presidents – Debt/Equity.

Whiston and Regan will work with Jason Kinnison and John Reed, specializing in relationship building and commercial lending throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota regions.

Jamison Whiston began his professional commercial mortgage banking career more than 25 years ago and has fostered strong relationships with clients and lenders across the country throughout his career.  In 2000, Whiston was an original member of Pace Financial Group, where he went on to open the Heartland office in 2009.  He is involved in all aspects of commercial lending, providing creative debt, equity and asset advisory solutions for his clients.  Whiston is involved with the local CCIM chapter, where he previously served a 2-year term as president.  He is also active with ICSC, MBA/CREF and currently holds a Nebraska commercial sales broker’s license.  Kevin Regan began his professional career in banking and financial services nearly 30 years ago and is focused on driving the origination of CRE financing for multifamily, retail, office, industrial, and hospitality properties for investors and corporations. Regan’s most recent experience was at Bank of America where he managed large middle market relationships. He has extensive experience in working capital finance, acquisition, asset-based lending, and shareholder repurchases in the commercial and industrial space for private and publicly traded companies.