Tag Archives: finance

Congratulations 2020 NAWRB Leadership Award Winner Sharron P.A. Levine, Director of FHFA’s Office of Minority & Women Inclusion!

Posted on by NAWRB

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NAWRB is proud to award Sharron P.A. Levine with the 2020 Government Official Leader Award! Levine is the Director of FHFA’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion. She leads the Agency’s oversight of the diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs of FHFA’s regulated entities, which include Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Common Securitization Platform (CSS), the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance. Sharron has more than 35 years of legal experience in the financial services industry representing corporate, institutional, governmental, and private entities in many aspects of real estate law, including construction and permanent loan financing; housing finance; leveraged buyouts; and more. Levine has delivered numerous keynote and other speeches across the industry and has been nominated several times for awards in Diversity and Inclusion for the work that FHFA has accomplished in this critical area.

Each year, the NAWRB Leadership Awards honor women leaders in the housing ecosystem who are utilizing their expertise and passion to break glass ceilings in the corporate world and facilitate the growth of their local communities. Congratulations, Sharron P.A. Levine!

WHER Chat: Veteran-Owned & Women-Owned Businesses

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WHER Chat: Veteran-Owned & Women-Owned Businesses

In honor of V-J Day, commemorating the end of World War II and the bravery of our veteran soldiers, NDILC member Erica Courtney, President of 2020vet and Zulu Time, U.S. Army Aviation, Major NATO Gender Advisor, highlights serious resource shortfalls for America’s women veterans face as entrepreneurs that the nation must be prepared to face in the near future in our 2020 NAWRB WHER, Volume III: Business Ownership.

Veteran women entrepreneurs possess traits that make them ideal business owners. Due to military training and knowledge, veterans are dependable, conditioned to make hard decisions, have integrity, take initiative and can adapt easily to challenging and evolving situations—all characteristics of a successful business owner. These women may see entrepreneurship as a means to prosper on their own terms by being their own boss.

This is a great time to be a woman veteran entrepreneur as we are the fastest-growing segment within the entrepreneurship community increasing by an astonishing 296 percent since 2007. Some of the reasons include a slight increase in women veterans; they are building businesses out of necessity; 40 percent of veterans are going into business for themselves as compared to the 10 percent Vietnam era entrepreneurs; more veterans have disability ratings than in wars past due to technology and better equipment; recent positive legislative changes; demand for third party corporate certification; and more available resources in terms of capital, education, and counseling.

It is important to note that despite the hurdles, veteran business owners have proven to be twice as successful in terms of revenue and business longevity, are twice as likely to hire other veterans, and contribute over $1.14T in sales receipts, $195B in annual payroll and employ over 5.03M employees. In 2012, veteran women-owned businesses were responsible for nearly 20 billion in receipts – an increase of 26.3 percent since 2007.

Veteran women continue to serve the United States by reinvesting and devoting themselves to the future, not through military service but through entrepreneurship. They are no stranger to hurdles and overcoming barriers as many dealt with this routinely while serving in a male-dominated profession. They are strong, smart, and driven, but we must understand specific challenges they face so we can help them be successful. 

Through entrepreneurship, many of the issues the community faces subside. Instead of masking the problem through medication prescribed at record rates, healthcare systems trying to keep up with a new demographic, and job placement programs in which the majority of veterans quit by year two, let’s put our efforts towards something that is working. It is not only a moral imperative that we take care of them but an economic one as well.

Find out more about NAWRB and how you can get involved and be a partner here!

About 2020 NAWRB WHER

The NAWRB Women Housing Ecosystem Report (WHER), our annual research report, provides the vision to revitalize communication and partnerships between industries as we work together to form mindful strategic solutions for social impact with a gender lens achievement. The 2020 NAWRB WHER includes the most diverse coverage of the Housing Ecosystem with almost eighty resources in six volumes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Real Estate; Business Ownership; STEM; Access to Capital; and Aging Population. While waiting for the release of 2020 WHER, order a copy of the 2019 NAWRB WHER here!

 

WHER Chat: Imperatives of the Commercial Real Estate Industry During COVID-19

Posted on by NAWRB

 

In 2020 NAWRB WHER, Volume II: Real Estate, we explore how the real estate industry is navigating COVID-19 challenges and utilizing technology as a solution. The industry must accomplish crucial initiatives during the pandemic to ensure the commercial real estate sector’s sustainability and reliability in the future.

1. Earning the respect, trust, and loyalty of customers and employees: In this time of uncertainty, leading operators are learning the importance of communicating to the point of overcommunication to make sure they are fully understanding and attending to their tenants’ needs at this moment and helping to protect everyone in their ecosystem. This may make communication as a company-level brand, rather than a property-level brand, more common, thereby speeding up an existing market trend.

In B2B environments, such as offices and retail stores, CEOs, and management teams are finding it helpful to asset managers and property managers by engaging directly with tenants. By interacting with the tenants directly, they not only address their needs more efficiently but also create a more trusting relationship with tenants who feel like they are being heard and valued.

2. Centralizing cash management: Prior to COVID-19, the McKinsey report notes that real estate was highly decentralized as important decisions regarding cash flow were made at the property level. However, due to the duration and depth of this crisis, which seems to have no end in sight in the United States, top management is now taking the initiative of centralized direction on property-level cash management in addition to company-level balance-sheet decisions and credit lines. As stated by the report, “All levels of management—including those at the property level and company level—are beginning to identify efficiency levers and when to pull them based on the underlying performance of properties and the business as a whole.”

3. Making tailored and informed decisions: Even within a single asset, needs will vary among tenants, particularly in commercial lease concessions. Real estate leaders are utilizing available behavioral data to generate fact-based insights that can help them make more informed decisions tailored to the needs of their diverse tenants (rather than a “one-size-fits-all” decision approach). They have data on local epidemiological and economic scenarios, competitive assets around a property, and the impact of the crisis on individual tenants.

4. Taking the digital leap: As we mentioned earlier, professionals in residential real estate have already taken the leap in digital sales and leasing processes, such as using virtual open houses and showings (sometimes augmented and virtual reality), as well omnichannel, targeted, and personalized sales. All of these tools are also available to the commercial real estate market in allowing their prospective tenants to find the right space for themselves.

5. Rethinking the future of real estate: Some landlords and lenders in the commercial real estate sector are looking ahead and preparing for how a business will change after the crisis is over. However, professionals are broadening their resources to include psychologists, sociologists, futurists, and technologists in addition to traditional economic or customer-survey-driven approaches. Some of the questions real estate professionals will have to ask include: “Will employees demand larger and more enclosed workspaces? Will people decide not to live in condominiums for fear of having to ride elevators?” By extending their research to include interdisciplinary resources and experts, business leaders will possibly find creative, informed solutions to these unprecedented challenges facing the industry.

About 2020 NAWRB WHER

The NAWRB Women Housing Ecosystem Report (WHER), our annual research report, provides the vision to revitalize communication and partnerships between industries as we work together to form mindful strategic solutions for social impact with a gender lens achievement. The 2020 NAWRB WHER includes the most diverse coverage of the Housing Ecosystem with almost eighty resources in six volumes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Real Estate; Business Ownership; STEM; Access to Capital; and Aging Population. While waiting for the release of 2020 WHER, order a copy of the 2019 NAWRB WHER here!

Co-signed a private student loan? Here are tips to protect yourself during COVID-19

Posted on by NAWRB

As the Coronavirus continues to affect the health of millions of Americans, it also continues to exacerbate the financial struggles that many individuals face during these times. It is critical for those with outstanding student loans to know their options when it comes to protecting themselves and their credit during the pandemic.

While the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides federal student borrowers with financial relief, many private student loan lenders are now offering reductions or suspending payments. As a borrower, it’s imperative to stay up-to-date on the status of your loan, to communicate with your primary borrower about requesting relief if applicable, and to check your credit reports. For more information and tips, you can check out this article by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

FDIC Names Five New Members to Its Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee

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As it is quite well known, the Great Depression that started in 1929 had a devastating toll on the American economy, people, and spirit. Because of this, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the 1933 Glass-Seagall Act which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Through this, a new government agency was born to maintain stability and foster public confidence in national banks by insuring depositors in the case of bank failures. Eighty-seven years later, the FDIC still strives to protect depositors by insuring $250,000 per individual.

In 2011, the FDIC created the Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee (SRAC) in order to provide the FDIC with resources and solutions to a variety of financial issues and companies. With 16 members, the SRAC strives to analyze how the FDIC’s authority under the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 can impact covered individuals and more.

On July 23rd, the FDIC named five new members to the committee. In addition to the current eleven members of the SRAC, the five new members are Dr. Ben S. Bernanke, Gary Cohn, Hon. Robert Drain, Timothy J. Mayopoulos, and Sandie O’Conner. Committee members are chosen based on their wide range of experience in managing complex firms; administering bankruptcies; and working in the legal system, accounting field, and academia.

Click here to view the press release!

sheCENTER(FOLD) Dr. Alexis Crow

Posted on by NAWRB
Alexis
07 Feb

Lead of Geopolitical Investing Practice at PwC; Senior Fellow of Columbia Business School and Senior Fellow of Global Business and Economics at the Atlantic Council

Dr. Alexis Crow

Dr. Alexis Crow is an accomplished academic and business professional who helps leading corporations and asset managers capitalize on dislocations for increased profit and expansion. Her profession has taken her all over the world and has introduced her to a plethora of cultures and ideas. In a candid interview, she shares influential figures that inspire her and the importance of spirituality in her life, as well as trends in investment strategies across the world and the way women are changing the global economy. The views expressed here are purely her own. 

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Fortune Ranks Most Powerful Women in Business for 2019

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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24 Sep

Yesterday, Fortune released their 2019 list of the Most Powerful Women in Business, which ranks women business leaders based on factors, such as the size and importance of their business in the global economy, the health and direction of their business, the arc of their career, as well as their social and cultural influence. Topping the list for the second year in a row is Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin.

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Women and Minorities Underrepresented Among Ownership in Asset Management Industry

Posted on by NAWRB
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05 Feb

A recent study by the Harvard Business School and Bella Research Group analyzing diversity within ownership of U.S. asset management shows that women and minorities have been significantly underrepresented in mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity and real estate between the years 2011 and 2017. However, the report also notes that diversity does not have a noticeable effect on performance.

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Who is Freddie Mac Today?

Posted on by NAWRB
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20 Aug

Often in the industry, when we think of the forty-eight-year-old Government Sponsored Entity The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, otherwise known as Freddie Mac, we think: “I’d love to be an REO broker with them” or “I’d love to be in a vendor relationship with them.” However, as we discovered in our “Who is Freddie Mac Today?” presentation, the GSE is way more than meets the eye, staying on the young side of forty-eight with an eye toward innovation and staying current.   Continue reading →

SHETalk: Rebecca Steele on Becoming a Disruptor

Posted on by NAWRB
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20 Aug

 

  “My Story Is Different Than Most”

“It’s just been an incredible conference. The women who have been here and all of you who I’ve met with have been the highlight of my year so far, really,” said Rebecca Steele taking over the stage for her SHETalk on day two of our conference.

Her story, she revealed, is different than most. “I have been through crisis,” she said, “But I will tell you that I’ve been very, very fortunate to have some of the opportunities that I’ve had.”

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