Moinian Launches New Lending Arm

By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

Joseph Moinian, CEO, The Moinian Group

New York—With its finger on the pulse of the commercial real estate market, The Moinian Group has formed a new lending platform, Moinian Capital Partners, for borrowers seeking a minimum of $25 million. Moinian Capital will offer financing in the form of a variety of debt products for large institutional assets across an array of property sectors.

Through Moinian Capital, borrowers seeking a minimum of $25 million will be able to avail themselves of a full list of debt products, including senior mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, construction loans—and the list goes on. Office, retail, residential, hotel and land assets spanning the U.S. are all eligible. “We have tremendous relationships and standing throughout the market and continue to see the need and opportunity for strong, stable, private lenders,” Joseph Moinian, CEO of The Moinian Group, said in a prepared statement. “We are perfectly positioned to provide financing.”

The Moinian Group has brought in Jonathan Chassin, a highly regarded player in the business, to steer Moinian Capital as the lending arm’s managing director. Chassin comes to the table with more than 10 years of experience, having most recently held an executive position with Morgan Stanley’s Principal Transactions Group. UBS Real Estate Securities Inc., Standard & Poor’s, Natixis Real Estate Capital Inc., GreensLedge Capital Markets LLC and Merrill Lynch are also on his CV, as is a laudable career accomplishment: the origination of real estate loans totaling in excess of $3 billion.

“Jonathan Chassin has the ideal combination of skills, experience, success, market knowledge, relationships, and leadership to guide and grow our newest division, particularly in the institutional space,” Mitchell Moinian, senior vice president with the Moinian Group, said in prepared remarks. Moinian Capital hit the ground running; the new platform has already completed more than $300 million of financings across New York City.

The timing appears to be right for the introduction of Moinian Capital. Per a new report by global professional services provider Deloitte, “Credit availability may be a concern going forward, due to the continued low CMBS issuances and banks tightening the lending standards across all CRE loan categories due to increased federal scrutiny. However, companies should consider accessing alternate sources of financing, such as life insurance companies, mezzanine debt, and other investment vehicles.”

The Moinian Group isn’t afraid to enter new territory. The launch of Moinian Capital comes one year after the national real estate firm’s formation of Currency M, a technology startup funding vehicle division.

Image courtesy of The Moinian Group