Jim Dunbar is a Partner and Head of Real Estate Lending. He oversees commercial real estate debt strategies, including loan originations and loan trading. He has also led investments in real estate operating companies, hospitality assets and non-performing CRE loans. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Based in Minneapolis, he joined the firm in 2010 and was named Partner in 2022.

Prior to joining Värde, Jim was a Senior Vice President at Macquarie based in Chicago. He had multiple roles within its real estate business including commercial real estate investments with joint ventures partners, developing new business initiatives and forming real estate investment trusts. Prior to Macquarie, Jim worked for Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup within its investment banking division in New York and Sydney.

Jim graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Finance.

Deryk Meherik is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s Structured Finance Group. Deryk is the team lead overseeing the review of primary US CRE CDO/CLO transactions and also contributes to research and methodology development for CRE CDO/CLO products.

 He has authored or co-authored three global rating methodologies, including those for structured finance CDOs, SF resecuritizations, and SF interest-only securities. Prior to his current position, Deryk was a lead analyst in the primary CRE team, rating a variety of fixed and floating rate CMBS and CRE CDO transactions, as well as assisting with primary SC MM and BSL CLO deals.

 Before joining Moody’s, Deryk was a CRE acquisition and research analyst for a private New York-based real estate firm. He holds a dual M.S. in civil engineering and real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.A. from the University of Calgary.

Darrell Wheeler leads CMBS and CRE CLO research at Moody’s Ratings, with over 30 years in commercial real estate and securitization research. He has developed innovative mortgage models, managed structured finance research at top firms including Cantor Fitzgerald, S&P Global Ratings, and Citigroup, and received multiple accolades, such as repeated Institutional Investors poll rankings. Darrell is also an active contributor and editorial board member for CREFC’s E-primer.

Jeffrey Baevsky serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Greystone. As CFO, he works directly with the company’s executive management team developing, implementing, and executing strategic business goals. Over his 11-year tenure with Greystone, Mr. Baevsky has been instrumental in building a robust and dynamic Finance Group where he cultivated relationships with numerous banking institutions, structured and led several rated securitizations, and played a pivotal role in establishing Greystone's Senior Debt Fund.

Prior to joining Greystone, Mr. Baevsky served as Head of Capital Markets at Gramercy Capital Corp., where he was responsible for arranging corporate and project debt and leading secondary loan trading activities. Throughout his career, he has advised on and completed mortgage-based credit facilities, mezzanine finance, off-balance sheet acquisition and asset development programs, and both public and private debt and equity capital placements.

Mr. Baevsky holds an M.B.A. in finance and real estate from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bruno Baretta is a VP-Senior Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. He currently covers a portfolio of finance companies including payday, subprime auto, and middle market lenders.

Prior to joining the Finance Companies team, Bruno worked as an Associate Analyst covering a portfolio of finance companies, securities firms and global investment banks.

Bruno holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University.

Jeffrey Baevsky serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Greystone. As CFO, he works directly with the company’s executive management team developing, implementing, and executing strategic business goals. Over his 11-year tenure with Greystone, Mr. Baevsky has been instrumental in building a robust and dynamic Finance Group where he cultivated relationships with numerous banking institutions, structured and led several rated securitizations, and played a pivotal role in establishing Greystone's Senior Debt Fund.

Prior to joining Greystone, Mr. Baevsky served as Head of Capital Markets at Gramercy Capital Corp., where he was responsible for arranging corporate and project debt and leading secondary loan trading activities. Throughout his career, he has advised on and completed mortgage-based credit facilities, mezzanine finance, off-balance sheet acquisition and asset development programs, and both public and private debt and equity capital placements.

Mr. Baevsky holds an M.B.A. in finance and real estate from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bruno Baretta is a VP-Senior Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. He currently covers a portfolio of finance companies including payday, subprime auto, and middle market lenders.

Prior to joining the Finance Companies team, Bruno worked as an Associate Analyst covering a portfolio of finance companies, securities firms and global investment banks.

Bruno holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University.

Jim Dunbar is a Partner and Head of Real Estate Lending. He oversees commercial real estate debt strategies, including loan originations and loan trading. He has also led investments in real estate operating companies, hospitality assets and non-performing CRE loans. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Based in Minneapolis, he joined the firm in 2010 and was named Partner in 2022.

Prior to joining Värde, Jim was a Senior Vice President at Macquarie based in Chicago. He had multiple roles within its real estate business including commercial real estate investments with joint ventures partners, developing new business initiatives and forming real estate investment trusts. Prior to Macquarie, Jim worked for Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup within its investment banking division in New York and Sydney.

Jim graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Finance.

Deryk Meherik is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s Structured Finance Group. Deryk is the team lead overseeing the review of primary US CRE CDO/CLO transactions and also contributes to research and methodology development for CRE CDO/CLO products.

 He has authored or co-authored three global rating methodologies, including those for structured finance CDOs, SF resecuritizations, and SF interest-only securities. Prior to his current position, Deryk was a lead analyst in the primary CRE team, rating a variety of fixed and floating rate CMBS and CRE CDO transactions, as well as assisting with primary SC MM and BSL CLO deals.

 Before joining Moody’s, Deryk was a CRE acquisition and research analyst for a private New York-based real estate firm. He holds a dual M.S. in civil engineering and real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.A. from the University of Calgary.

Darrell Wheeler leads CMBS and CRE CLO research at Moody’s Ratings, with over 30 years in commercial real estate and securitization research. He has developed innovative mortgage models, managed structured finance research at top firms including Cantor Fitzgerald, S&P Global Ratings, and Citigroup, and received multiple accolades, such as repeated Institutional Investors poll rankings. Darrell is also an active contributor and editorial board member for CREFC’s E-primer.