(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
The Phoenix office of Berkadia, Berkshire Hathaway’s joint venture with Leucadia National Corporation, has announced the $78 million financing for six hotel properties in a portfolio of eight total hotel properties.
Director Adrienne Kautzman of the Phoenix office secured the acquisition bridge loan through Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE). The borrower was a partnership led by PEG Companies, and the deal closed on September 7.
“PEG’s investment thesis coupled with our deep lending relationships and knowledge of the hospitality space allowed us to facilitate flexible and competitive financing on these six hotels to provide various exit strategies for the PEG team,” said Kautzman.
The properties include Residence Inn by Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott hotels located in St. Petersburg, Florida; Sacramento, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Charlotte, North Carolina; Phoenix and St. Louis, for a total of 828 hotel rooms.
About Berkadia
Founded in 2009 as a 50/50 joint venture between Berkshire Hathaway and Leucadia National Corporation, Berkadia is a third-party commercial mortgage servicer, as well as an approved lender for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and HUD/FHA.
The company is among the top Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae multifamily lenders.
Berkadia owes its origins to GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation, which was acquired in 2009 by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Five Mile Capital Partners LLC, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. Christened Capmark Financial, the company had $10 billion of originations in 2008 and a servicing portfolio of more than $360 billion before running into bankruptcy in October 2009.
In a deal approved by the bankruptcy court, Capmark sold its mortgage loan and servicing to the newly formed Berkadia in a deal worth $515 million.
The deal brought Berkshire into the heart of the commercial loan serving business, and the company has one of the largest commercial real estate servicing portfolios.
© 2018 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.