What's Now in Real Estate Finance (June 2025)

Topics from our June agenda included:

Seyfarth Continues Aggressive National Growth by Adding Transactional Team
Paul Mattingly (Atlanta)

We welcomed a lateral team of 22 transactional attorneys based in the Southeast and discussed their experience in real estate finance. In addition to broadening our general real estate, corporate, and employee benefits capabilities, their arrival brings added depth in hospitality, private equity investments, and fund formation.

MBA Servicing and Technology Conference Recap
Randa Barton (Dallas)

A team of Seyfarth attorneys attended and presented at MBA's 2025 Commercial/Multifamily Finance Servicing and Technology Conference in Hollywood, Florida in May. The conference had its largest number of attendees ever, reflecting the increased importance and focus on servicing issues in the current market. The programming covered issues ranging from developments in insurance to dealing with unique assets and the increase in complex borrower structures.

General sessions addressed the overall market outlook with conservative optimism about overall growth in the CRE market. Pain points in some sectors are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, as another frequently discussed topic was the rise in the number of loan defaults across markets. Presenters addressed how servicers can more effectively transition loans to special servicing and handle workouts with borrowers, as defaults are expected to remain higher than normal this year. 

Will the Workouts Workout? 
Chris Manzer (Atlanta), Mitchell Kaplan (New York), and Saadia Ghazi (New York)

We discussed forbearances closed last year, and whether the workouts appear to be successful. Generally speaking, it is still too early to come to final conclusions. However, the group is not seeing clear signs of success and expects that, in many cases, continued forbearance and adjusted terms will be required for currently distressed assets to get back on track. In certain situations, lenders are already considering more intensive remedies, such as receiverships and possible foreclosures.