The conduit or CMBS apartment lenders that dominated the market just one year ago are gone. These lenders are dependent on a healthy secondary market, which has all but crumbled. The Mortgage Bankers Association recently came out with a report stating that the “secondary market is broken.” And no one really knows if or when it will return. One of the main issues is the lack buyers of the mortgage backed securities that are offered on the secondary market. These institutions (the buyers) have been burned badly and will likely remember this for a long time. 

Conventional lenders for apartment buildings are experiencing some tough times as well, but there still are some banks and lenders that are healthy enough to do loans with decent terms. The key here is knowing which banks and lenders are still strong, and that are really closing loans. Terms, rates, fixed periods range widely from one source to the next, depending mostly on their balance sheet and real appetite for new loans. 

Probably 50% of conventional apartment lenders are no longer looking at new loan requests.  Of the other 50% many are offering such ridiculous terms, like max 40% financing, that you just want to ask “why bother”?

If you were looking for a happy ending to this, here it is. Apartment lenders that are set up with the government backed programs are viable, and still doing deals at the terms your use to. 80% to 85% financing on purchases and 75% -80% loan to value on refinance are still available. Debt coverage ratios are very aggressive at 1.17. 30 year fixed rates and even a 35 year fixed rate in the low 6%’s to upper 5% is still an option….

These programs have taken some criticism over the years due to length of time to close, and expense. The agencies have done a lot to improve their system though, and it is common to get apartment loans closed in a more typical time frame of 60 days, though 120 days is still a reality with some programs (depending on which agency).  

The expense is still a valid concern, for example on a HUD apartment loans the borrower can expect to pay Uncle Sam appr 3% of the loan amount out of the proceeds of the loan. However when compared to the borrowers other real options, which at the moment are very slim (to nonexistent), it doesn’t look that bad. Also, the long term fixed rates make it easier to swallow as the borrower will never have to face a balloon or having their rate adjust to such a high levels that it puts them underwater from a DCR perspective.