On Wednesday, September 18th, NYLIB will host a panel discussion on Multifamily Commercial Real Estate Lending: Economic Challenges & Societal Benefits. The panel discussion will be moderated by Robert Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Real Estate Advisor at Apple Bank.

A distinguished panel will discuss the interface of laws and regulations, subsidies, rent controls, rental rates, and cost structures affecting multifamily lending, as well as tensions between the societal goal of affordable rental rates and the economic stresses on these properties (and on owners and lenders) given the current legal framework. How do we reconcile public policy goals and the need to provide investors with appropriate rates of return on their properties? Are we at a tipping point on the ability to finance these properties?

Panelists include Nate Bliss, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce; Jake Blumencranz, New York State Assemblymen for the 15th District; Joseph Condon, General Counsel at the New York Apartment Association (NYAA); James Nelson, Principal and Head of Avison Young’s Tri-State Investment Sales Group; and Robert Porto, an Executive Director at Cushman & Wakefield specializing in the appraisal of multifamily properties. Please register below.

Moderator

Robert Smith joined Apple Bank in July 1992 and is currently an Executive Vice President, Chief Real Estate Advisor. He is responsible for all activities within the Real Estate Valuation and Advisory Division (REVAD) as well as various related commercial real estate activities throughout the Bank.

With a career spanning over four decades, he has been involved in commercial real estate since 1980, working with leading real estate companies and financial institutions. He has experience as a real estate advisor and as a real estate reviewer and appraiser.

Mr. Smith has taught graduate-level commercial real estate courses as an adjunct at New York University's NYU-Schack Institute of Real Estate for the past 17 years. He currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Fordham University - Real Estate Institute (REI) Graduate School Degree program. He continues to serve as an Instructor for the Appraisal Institute (AI) and is a Certified USPAP instructor for the Appraisal Foundation (AF).

Panelists

Nate Bliss is Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce, where he supports an interdisciplinary team leading City Hall’s efforts to promote recovery and to build a stronger and more inclusive economy. Nate has 20 years of experience in public-private partnerships, including time in both the private sector and in government. His work has included the development of laboratory and life sciences space in his role as Vice President for Development and Construction at Taconic Partners, and neighborhood revitalization efforts in areas including Coney Island, Long Island City, Downtown Far Rockaway, and Staten Island's North Shore in his role as Senior Vice President at New York City Economic Development Corporation. Nate is a graduate of Columbia University and New York University, and has also taught at NYU's Schack Institute of Real Estate. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons, and is proud to live and work in the greatest city on earth.

Jake Blumencranz was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 8, 2022. The 15th Assembly District includes portions of the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay.

Prior to being elected to the Assembly, Jake worked in the private sector as a business executive. He also previously worked for the Nassau County District Court and understands the intricacies of the criminal justice system.

Jake is committed to working with all legislators to create a more affordable and safe New York. His plans include tax breaks for homeowners, cutting income taxes for middle-class families, and eliminating waste within the state budget. In addition to fiscal responsibility and safety, Jake pledges to promote academic opportunities for all students, such as BOCES programs and trade schools, alongside a traditional academic pathway. In March 2024, he sponsored a bill intended to protect the property rights of New York homeowners by adding squatting to the definition of criminal trespass in the third degree and by extending the time period for tenancy rights from 30 days to 45 days of possession.

Jake earned his Master of Science in Regional Urban Planning and Economic Development at the London School of Economics and holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy and Religious Studies from Rice University. He currently resides in Oyster Bay.

Joseph Condon is General Counsel at the New York Apartment Association (NYAA). NYAA was recently formed via a merger between the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) and the Rent Stabilization Association of New York, Inc. (RSA). It is a 501(c)(6) that represents a coalition of property owners and managers who provide the majority of affordable multi-family housing in the state of New York. 

Prior to serving as General Counsel of NYAA, Joe served as General Counsel of CHIP. Founded in 1966, CHIP was a trade association for owners of over 400,000 rent-stabilized rental properties across New York City’s five boroughs. CHIP provided educational programming, compliance assistance, and legislative advocacy to its more than 4,000 members. CHIP supported its members in their mission to provide excellent and affordable housing, build a sense of community in their properties, and employ thousands of New Yorkers with their small businesses.

James Nelson is Principal and Head of Avison Young’s Tri-State Investment Sales group, where he leads a group of three dozen professionals in the sale of multi-family, office, development, and retail properties. Avison Young is a full-service global real estate firm with 5,000 real estate professionals located in 120 offices in 20 countries.

Throughout his close to 25-year career, James has been involved in the sale of approximately 500 properties and loan sales for an aggregate value of over $5 billion dollars. Prior to joining Avison Young, James served as Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, where his team was ranked the number one Investment Sales broker nationwide in 2016. Previously, James was a partner and top producer for Massey Knakal for six of their last eight years and was named the company’s youngest partner in 2004.

James enjoys guest lecturing at Columbia, Fordham, NYU, Wharton, and his alma mater Colgate. He is a regular source for the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, and the NY Post, among others. He serves on the boards of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), Counselors of Real Estate, SparkYouth NYC, and Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York (YM/WREA). He is also a co-founder of the Real Estate Services Alliance (RESA) and the Colgate Real Estate Council. You can learn about James’ book, The Insider's Edge to Real Estate Investing: Game-Changing Strategies to Outperform the Market, and James’ videos and podcast on his website.

Robert (“Bobby”) Porto, MAI, is an Executive Director with Cushman & Wakefield Inc. Valuation & Advisory.

Bobby joined Cushman & Wakefield Valuation & Advisory as an intern in May 2003. He was subsequently hired as a full-time appraiser and real estate analyst in June 2004. Since joining the division, Bobby has worked on various appraisals of income-producing properties, including office buildings, industrial properties, retail and shopping centers, and special-use properties such as auto dealerships, golf courses, restaurants, and parking garages. His work scope includes feasibility studies, market surveys, and investment analyses. Bobby has been a member of the Gas Station/ Convenience Store, Auto Dealership, Multifamily, Industrial, and Restaurant and Residential Development specialty practice groups. Bobby was promoted to Associate Director in July 2008, to Director in July 2010, Senior Director in April 2014, and Executive Director in June 2022.

In 2012, Bobby joined New York’s multifamily specialty practice group as a colleague of John T. Feeney, regional head of the Multifamily Practice Group. The group focuses on valuation and consulting assignments located within all five boroughs of New York City and Long Island. Assignments include cooperatives, existing and proposed condominium developments, proposed and existing rental developments, 80/20 and 70/30 mixed-use developments, Section 8 housing developments, Mitchell Lama developments, development sites, air rights, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Inclusionary Housing and benefits related to sub-market financing. Bobby prepared the Hudson Yards Financing District Development and Revenue Report in support of the 2021 $452 million bond financing for the Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corporation. Bobby is qualified as an expert witness.

On Thursday, April 4th, NYLIB will host a panel discussion on the evolution of technology and banking.

Panelists

Patrick Sells is the Co-Founder of True Digital Group. Patrick Sells is an award-winning entrepreneur and thought leader with a proven track record of driving innovation and transformation in the financial services industry. As American Banker's 2020 Digital Banker of the Year and co-founder of True Digital Group, he has developed a network designed for bankers to help foster innovation and transformation through collaboration.

Before founding True Digital Group, Sells served as the Chief Innovation Officer at NYDIG and Quontic Bank. During his time at Quontic, he was recognized as American Banker’s Digital Banker of the Year and played a key role in creating the foundation that led to Quontic being named Forbes' #1 Digital Bank in 2022. At NYDIG, he was responsible for the organization's partnerships with core provider companies such as Alkami, Fiserv, FIS, Q2, NCR, and Jack Henry. By interacting with nearly 1,100 financial institutions throughout his career, Sells has extensive experience in vendor management, fintech partnerships, digital transformation, banking innovation, and risk management.

John Verry is the Managing Director of CBIZ PivotPoint Security. Over the past 21 years, John has guided thousands of organizations on their journey to become provably secure and compliant. A family man and foodie with a penchant for pop culture references, John deftly mixes wit and wisdom while sharing his deep knowledge of cyber security with both business and technical audiences as the host of The Virtual CISO Podcast.

Ray Ortega is the Chief Technology Officer for BBH Solutions. Prior to being named CTO, Ray was BBH’s Unified Communications Practice Manager, leading the teams responsible for unified communications, networking, security, and other key technologies. He has more than 21 years of experience in the technology industry, with expertise in financial, non-profit, life sciences, engineering, and manufacturing verticals. As CTO, Ray develops the BBH service offerings and leads a team of technologists that design, build, and support Voice, Data, and Video Solutions that are premise-based or hosted in BBH’s cloud environment.

Krista Moore is a Solution Enablement Engineer with Finxact, a Fiserv company. “Enable” being the operative word. She has worked with financial institutions at Fiserv for over 25 years. In different spaces, Krista has helped customers find solutions that help create efficiency and diligence in their operations. In the endless evolution of technical services, she seeks to translate new technologies into a practical and approachable solution. The range of solution experience allows Krista to tie each element to the next, creating a seamless environment to “enable” the business goals.

Preeti Singh leads the New York Business Unit at Coforge, where she plays a crucial role in supporting the firm's financial services clientele within the region through business and technological transformations. Coforge is a global digital services and solutions provider that leverages emerging technologies and deep domain expertise to deliver real-world business impact for its clients, including global, commercial, and community banks, as well as insurance companies, card and payment providers, and global investment managers. Coforge helps its financial services clients modernize their core and reimagine their processes, enabling them to develop new product strategies, adopt the cloud, leverage data, insights, and analytics to create personalized experiences for their customers, as well as help drive adoption and roll-out of Governance, Risk & Compliance initiatives.

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On Thursday, January 11th, NYLIB will hold a commercial real estate panel discussion. NYLIB President Edward T. Lutz will serve as the moderator for the panel discussion, which will feature Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Professor of Finance and Real Estate at Columbia Business School; Jade Rahmani, Managing Director at KBW; and Scott Singer, Principal and Co-Lead of Avison Young’s Tri-State Debt & Equity Finance team. Please register below.

Moderator

NYLIB President Edward T. Lutz will moderate the panel discussion. Ed’s distinguished career in banking has spanned over five decades. He is a former Regional Director for the FDIC’s New York Region, as well as a former community bank President and CEO. Ed has also served as a Director for several community banks. He currently serves as Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee for First Central Savings Bank.

Panelists

On June 29th, NYLIB will host a panel discussion on “Liquidity and Funds Management in a Changing Environment: Where We Are and the Path Forward for Community Banks,” moderated by Adam Goldstein, Chief Business Officer for the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, at Pryor Cashman’s offices in Times Square. Mike Aldrich, Regional Capital Markets Specialist at the FDIC; Rick Kraemer, Treasurer & Deputy CFO at Valley Bank; Laura Gorman, SVP & Treasurer at Hanover Community Bank; Donald Musso, President of FinPro, Inc.; and Adam Kirk, Principal Examiner, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, are expected to serve as panelists.

Our Moderator

Adam Goldstein is a Senior Vice President and the Chief Business Officer at the Federal Home Loan Bank New York. In this role, Adam oversees the Business Lines and is instrumental in business development, having led the creation of the Mortgage Asset Program® (MAP®) and the Letter of Credit programs, as well as innovated numerous Credit and community development products. Since joining the FHLBNY in June 1997, Adam has spearheaded new departments, including the Marketing, Membership and Research, and Member Service Desk. He is the co-lead for the FHLBNY’s Corporate Long-Term Strategy and sits on the FHLBNY’s Management Committee since March 2008. He also sits on several other committees, such as the Asset-Liability Management Committee and Disclosure Committee.

At the national FHLBank System level, Adam is the Chairman of the Large Member Lending Task Force (f.k.a Globally Systemic Important Banks Task Force) and the Chairman of the In-District Regulatory Outreach Committee. He previously led the ESG Bond Issuance Task Force (presented the findings to the OF Board), was a senior member of the Insurance Company Task Force and Data Governance Task Force, and was past Chairman and creator of the FHLBank System Sales and Marketing Committee. Adam serves on the American Fintech Council and is a member of their Community Advisory Board. He is also on the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Finance Committee, as well as the former Chairman of the Audit Committee for the Kennedy Children's Center.

Adam received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oneonta, holds an MBA in Financial Marketing from Binghamton University, and an additional five post-graduate certifications in business and management excellence from Harvard University, Columbia University, New York University, Cornell University, and The New York Institute of Finance.

Event Panelists

Donald J. Musso, the President of FinPro, will join us as a panelist. Don Musso has founded many de novo banks and is a significant investor in many community banks. Musso is a recognized expert in value creation for banks, strategic planning, loan and deposit growth, internal risk assessments, asset and liability management, customer segmentation and delivery alternatives, and investment banking.

Michael Aldrich, a Regional Capital Markets Specialist at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), will join us as a panelist. Mike has been with the FDIC since 1993, starting as a community bank examiner in the Boston North Field Office before becoming a national capital markets resource, leading asset and liability reviews at banks of all sizes up to and including the largest domestic systemically important financial institutions. Currently, he serves as Regional Capital Markets Specialist for the NY Region. He has developed and taught numerous ALM courses for the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, and the FFIEC. He is a frequent national speaker on ALM topics within the FDIC and externally at Directors College sessions as well as with a variety of different ALM vendors and trade groups. He got his bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College, his Masters of Science in Finance degree from Boston College, and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Laura Gorman has extensive Treasury Department expertise with more than 23 years of banking experience. Ms. Gorman joined Hanover Bank as Senior Vice President and Treasurer in February 2023. Prior to joining Hanover, she worked for Dime Community Bank (formerly BNB Bank) for her entire banking career. She helped support the bank’s growth through three acquisitions, one merger of equals, and organic growth. At BNB Bank, Ms. Gorman’s primary responsibilities included oversight of the bank’s Investment, Derivative, and Wholesale Borrowing Portfolios as well as oversight of the BOLI program. Inclusive of these responsibilities was the management of liquidity on both a daily and longer-term basis.

Adam Kirk, a Principal Examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY), has worked at the FRBNY since 2011 and in the Federal Reserve System’s LISCC Liquidity Program since its inception. Adam has led numerous examination, monitoring, and analytical events and has made significant contributions to post-crisis liquidity regulation and reporting efforts, both domestically and internationally. He is currently on a secondment to the Board of Governors focusing on digital assets and fintech within the policy group. Previously, Adam worked in the Division of Insurance & Research at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) after graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in economics.

Rick Kraemer, the Treasurer & Deputy CFO at Valley Bank, will serve as a panelist. Rick is a diversified financial services professional with more than 23 years of experience in Investment Banking, Alternative Asset Management, and Commercial Banking. In Rick’s dual role, he leads key finance and capital market strategies while working closely with the executive leadership team to define and execute all corporate strategies and initiatives. His responsibilities include strategy and oversight of the Bank’s balance sheet management, including liquidity and funding, capital planning, and finance. In addition, he is responsible for leadership of capital markets, wealth management, partner banking, and the Bank’s national tax credit advisory practice. In his previous roles with Valley, Rick served in a leadership position with oversight of strategic finance, financial planning & analysis, budgeting, mergers & acquisitions, and investor relations. In that role, Rick was responsible for leading a significant acquisition of a $4 billion banking institution. As a member of several working groups and committees, Rick is also tasked with monitoring financial risk and improving the overall profitability of the institution.

Before joining Valley, Rick spent over 15 years as a portfolio manager and banking analyst in the alternative asset management industry, primarily with Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisors. Rick began his career at Sandler O’Neill & Partners LLP, a boutique investment bank, as an equity research analyst for the banking industry.

Rick received his Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University and has been honored as “Best on the Street” by the Wall Street Journal for his stock-picking abilities in the banking sector.

Registration

Event Details

New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) Superintendent, Adrienne A. Harris, will join us for a Q&A moderated by NYLIB President Ed Lutz on the evening of January 12, 2023, at Pryor Cashman’s offices in Times Square. Please join us!

Speaker

Adrienne A. Harris was nominated to lead the New York State Department of Financial Services by Governor Kathy Hochul in August 2021 and confirmed by the New York State Senate on January 25, 2022.

Superintendent Harris began her career as an Associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City representing a number of U.S. and non-U.S. based corporations in various forms of litigation and regulatory matters, before accepting a position at the United States Department of the Treasury under President Obama.

While at the Treasury Department, Superintendent Harris served as a Senior Advisor to both Acting Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Mary Miller, and Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin. Her work ranged from financial reform efforts to identifying solutions to the student loan crisis, analyzing the nexus between foreign investment and national security, and working to promote financial inclusion and health in communities throughout the country.

Following her time at the Treasury Department, Superintendent Harris joined The White House, where she was appointed as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, as part of the National Economic Council. In this role, she managed the financial services portfolio, which included developing and executing strategies for financial reform and the implementation of Dodd-Frank, consumer protections for the American public, cybersecurity, and housing finance reform priorities.

After leaving the White House in January 2017, Superintendent Harris went on to serve as General Counsel and Chief Business Officer at States Title, Inc. (now DOMA), which provides a more simple and affordable closing experience for homebuyers.

Prior to being nominated, she also served as a Professor and as Faculty Co-Director at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy's Center on Finance, Law, and Policy at the University of Michigan, as well as a Senior Advisor at the Brunswick Group in Washington, D.C.

Moderator

NYLIB President Edward T. Lutz Lutz has enjoyed a banking career of over 50 years, including as President and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Hudson Bank, which was sold to ConnectOne Bank in 2018. He has served as director of four community banks (and served as Audit Committee Chairman in three of them). Additionally, through Lutz Advisors, Inc., Ed has provided banks with advice on strategic and regulatory matters as a strategic consultant. Ed began his career as an Assistant Bank Examiner with the FDIC and subsequently rose through the ranks to serve as Regional Director of the FDIC’s New York Region for four years.

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Registration

Event

This free virtual event will be held on Zoom. The event will feature a panel discussion followed by a Q&A session and end with a breakout session to connect with other attendees. Details for joining the Zoom will be provided to registered attendees by email prior to the event.

Discussion

According to CCG Catalyst’s 2021 US Banking Study, 50% of C-level bank executives see working with FinTechs as an integral part of their business strategy. Another 28% work with FinTechs on a one-off basis. Clearly, financial technology’s time has come… and community banks are realizing the importance of working with FinTechs. 

In conjunction with NYPAY, New York’s leading forum for innovators and leaders in payments and mobile commerce, NYLIB has assembled an all-star panel to speak to the importance and utility of bank-FinTech partnerships and what it takes to build working relationships between banks and FinTech. 

Speakers

Jeffrey Alberts, partner in Pryor Cashman’s Financial Institutions and FinTech practice groups, will moderate a panel of speakers discussing the role of FinTechs in the banking industry. Panelists will include Grace Pace, VP of Digital Banking at Quontic Bank, Keith Vander Leest, Payments Director at Cross River Bank, Jeff Keltner, SVP and Co-Founder of Upstart, and Himi Kahn, Head of Business Development at Clinc.

Jeffrey Alberts, Partner, Pryor Cashman LLP

Jeffrey Alberts co-heads Pryor Cashman’s Financial Institutions practice and FinTech group. In these roles, Jeffrey represents financial institutions and fintech companies on a wide variety of regulatory issues. Jeff regularly advises clients concerning money transmission, anti-money laundering, prepaid access, consumer credit, privacy and data security, and payment processing regimes. Jeffrey has over a decade of extensive experience in the application of law to FinTech innovation. In 2018, the National Law Journal named Jeffrey to its inaugural list of “Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and FinTech Trailblazers.” Jeffrey continues to work on cutting edge legal issues related to the use of financial technology, including developments in the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.

Grace Pace, VP, Digital Banking, Quontic Bank

Grace Pace has worked in digital products with Cardinal Bank, Republic Bank, and First Financial Bank. She was an essential team member of Memory Bank, a neobank division of Republic Bank. During her time at First Financial Bank, she became an industry expert in online digital account opening and her expertise and vision have played a major role in how Quontic has revolutionized digital banking. Grace is a 2014 graduate of the University of Kentucky and resides in Louisville, Kentucky.

Keith Vander Leest, Payments Director, Cross River Bank

Keith Vander Leest leads the Payments team at Cross River, Payments at Cross River consists of our ACH, RTP, Wires, Push to Card, and Acquiring products offered through our APIs on our bank core COS. Keith joined Cross River in 2020 as Head of Channels. Prior to Cross River, Keith was at American Express holding roles on both their issuing and acquiring businesses and First Data. Keith holds an MBA from Purdue University and a BS in Engineering from Calvin University.

Jeff Keltner, SVP, Business Development, Upstart

Jeff Keltner leads Upstart's efforts in strategic partnerships and new initiatives and is the host of the Leaders in Lending podcast. Jeff joined Upstart in 2012 after spending 6 years at Google where he launched and built the Google Apps for Education business, spearheaded marketing efforts for Google Apps in Global 2000 accounts, and led sales, business development, and go-to-market strategy for the launch of Chrome devices in the education and enterprise sectors. Jeff holds a BS in Computer Systems Engineering from Stanford University.

Himi Khan, Head, Business Development, Clinc

Himi Khan is Head of Business Development at Clinc and drives the company's partnership and new markets initiatives. Prior to Clinc, Himi had executive leadership roles in mobile product management at FIS Global and mFoundry. Himi was also a technology investment banker at UBS and an equity research analyst at JP Morgan. He holds an MBA with Distinction from the University of Michigan, a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a CFA charterholder.

Registration

Please note that registration is free for both NYLIB members and non-members.