2026 Moody's Ratings CMBS/CRE CLO Fall Conference and Networking Event
Growing CRE Issuance Amid Rising Interest Rates
This event is exclusively in-person
Agenda
Registration
Welcome remarks
New Issuance Credit Observations - What’s Our Altitude?
This panel will explore how market participants are assessing credit risk, allocating capital, and navigating evolving property fundamentals and macroeconomic conditions.
- How lenders and investors are adapting to a prolonged higher-for-longer interest rate environment
- Key underwriting trends, credit considerations, and areas of market concern
- Shifts in lender and investor appetite across property types, structures, and risk profiles
- The impact of the economic and capital markets outlook on issuance volumes and credit performance
Networking break
CRE Credit Stress: Recoveries, Restructurings, and Securitization Trends
As specially serviced loans in conduit and SASB transactions continue to season, this panel will examine likely resolution and workout outcomes. Special servicers and B-piece investors will discuss strategies for maximizing recoveries, lessons from recent distressed assets, and how market participants are positioning for the next phase of the CRE cycle. The discussion will also explore how securitization structures, underwriting, and investor demand may evolve in 2027.
- How are elevated interest rates affecting refinancing risk, and what workout or resolution paths are emerging for distressed loans?
- How have performance trends across property types influenced loan recoveries and investor expectations?
- How might CRE securitization structures and underwriting evolve to reflect higher rates and changing investor demand?
- What is the outlook for SASB, conduit CMBS, CRE CLOs, and other securitized CRE products in 2027?
Networking reception
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Madhavi Bokil is an Executive Director, heading the Macro Research Team of the Credit Strategy and Standards Group. She is a member of Moody’s Macro Board and the lead author of Moody’s Global Macroeconomic Outlook.
Before joining Moody’s Ratings Madhavi held positions as Senior Economist at AIG and GE Capital, undertaking global macroeconomic analysis, forecasting and CCAR stress testing. Prior to that she held a faculty position in the Department of Economics at Clark University, where she pursued research in and taught International Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics. She holds a BA in Economics from Fergusson College, Pune, India, a MA in Economics from the University of Mumbai, India and a PhD in International Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
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.
Matthew Halpern is an Executive Director within the Structured Finance Group at Moody’s Investors Service. He is a team leader within the CMBS Surveillance group focusing on U.S. Conduit/Fusion and Large Loan/Single Borrower transactions. In addition, Matthew is involved in managing the surveillance review of credit assessments for commercial real estate assets within CRE CDO’s and CLO’s as well as Structured Credit transactions. Matthew also has experience rating new CMBS and CRE CDO transactions, and is a contributor to various commercial real estate research initiatives. Prior to joining Moody’s, Matthew worked in the Structured Finance group at Ernst &Young. Matthew graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science.
Deryk Meherik is an Executive 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.
Joe Baksic manages new issuance for the Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF) team at Moody’s Investors Service, where he holds the title of Executive Director. His responsibilities encompass all private-label and agency Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) issuance within the United States and Canada.
Joe has over 20 years of professional experience within the industry and has overseen the analysis of CRE issuance across the Conduit, Large Loan/Single Asset Single-Borrower, CLO/CDO, and Non-Performing Loan sectors. He has developed multiple rating methodologies, models, and analytical tools. He has contributed toward research initiatives and authored several publications. He frequently engages with the media to communicate credit views and developments within the sector. Baksic also regularly liaises in the analysis and ratings of other lines of business within Moody’s as a commercial real estate and structured products specialist.
Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia.
Robb holds the position of Executive Director at Moody's Investors Service, where he has been part of the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) New Issuance group since 2006. With a career spanning over 25 years in commercial real estate Robb has developed a deep understanding in commercial real estate, credit analysis, and ratings theory.
In his current position, he co-leads the CMBS New Issuance team, where he has a particular focus on the retail and large loan sectors. This role has allowed him to leverage his knowledge in commercial real estate and structured finance.
Before his tenure at Moody's Investors Service, Robb worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers within the Real Estate Advisory Services Group. Additionally, he also was part of the Real Estate and Lodging Investment Banking Group at JP Morgan.
Robb's gained a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, and a Master's degree in Real Estate Finance from New York University.
Stefanos Arethas is Head of Commercial Real Estate Finance at Santander Corporate and Investment Bank. Mr. Arethas responsibilities include leading a team responsible for delivering the full suite of commercial real estate finance products including direct lending, warehouse lending, securitization and fund finance. Mr. Arethas has over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate finance has led or been involved in over $125B of transactions. Prior to Santander, Mr. Arethas was head of commercial real estate finance at Atlas SP Partners (an Apollo company), and before that Mr. Arethas was head of commercial real estate origination at Credit Suisse. Mr. Arethas past experience also includes a senior ratings analyst at Moodys Investors Services and as a Vice President at Truist Bank. Mr. Arethas serves on the Board of Governos for the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council.
Mr. Arethas received a Masters in Real Estate from Georgetown University and Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Mr. Arethas has lectured on commercial real estate finance at Georgetown University and George Washington University.
Wesley Flamer-Binion is a Director at TD Securities, where he leads the credit function for CMBS and mortgage-related investments for TD's $150 billion US Investment Portfolio. He focuses on conduit and SASB CMBS, SFR ABS, and RMBS. Prior to joining TD, Welsey was a rating analyst at Moody's focused primarily on CMBS and CRE CLOs. He has 20 years of real estate industry experience spanning commercial development, brokerage, and equity, debt and structured securities investments.
Wesley holds an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate Finance from Columbia Business School and a bachelor's degree in economics from Columbia University.
Ravish Kamath is a Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets, where he joined in 2021. He focuses on the structuring, sizing, and pricing of loans intended for securitization across conduit and single-asset single-borrower (SASB) transactions. Prior to joining BMO, Ravish spent more than nine years at Kroll Bond Rating Agency, most recently as a Senior Director, where he focused on rating large-loan and SASB securitizations, conduit transactions, and commercial real estate CLOs. He has 19 years of commercial real estate experience and previously held roles in debt and equity capital markets at Cushman & Wakefield and Knight Frank.
Ravish holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University and an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Connecticut.
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.
Bill Clarkson is Managing Partner, Head of Special Servicing and Workout Services at Torchlight Investors, where he manages a national portfolio of commercial real estate loans and REO properties with an unpaid principal balance of over $5.3 billion. He has extensive experience in restructuring and disposition, having successfully overseen the turnaround of more than 400 assets with a total unpaid principal balance of approximately $8.0 billion since joining Torchlight in 2013. In his role, he leads a team of professionals, manages client relationships, and helps direct the firm’s credit committee, ensuring sound underwriting and credit decisions across the portfolio.
Bill previously has held key roles at companies such as Ten-X and Starwood Property Trust, where he managed distressed loan sales and structured loan workouts. Earlier in his career, he held capital markets positions at Rockwood Real Estate Advisors, First Potomac Realty Trust, and Cassidy & Pinkard. Bill holds an MBA from the University of Florida and a BBA in Finance from Roanoke College. He remains an active industry participant, serving on the advisory board of the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies and the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council.
David Harrison is the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Special Servicing at Midland Loan Services, a PNC Real Estate business. As Chief Operating Officer, he has enterprise responsibility for operational performance, risk management, and strategic execution across Midland’s servicing platform. As Head of Special Servicing, he leads the team responsible for the workout, restructuring, and resolution of complex and distressed loans and REO assets. Harrison works closely with institutional clients, rating agencies, regulators, and internal partners to ensure consistent servicing quality across market cycles. He brings deep experience across credit, servicing, asset management, and workouts from prior roles at Fitch Ratings, KeyBank Real Estate Capital, and The Archon Group. He serves on the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Board of Governors and the Mortgage Bankers Association Commercial Real Estate Multifamily Finance Board of Governors. He holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Economics from the University of Houston.
Jason Nick is Managing Director, head of B-piece and private investments at Starwood Property Trust. In this position, Mr. Nick is responsible for the sourcing and acquisition of new-issue CMBS B-pieces. As part of his role, he develops and maintains relationships with conduit loan sellers and financial partners and provides credit oversight for all real estate related investments for public and private debt acquisitions. Additionally, he is responsible for managing the due diligence process for all new CMBS B-piece acquisitions. Mr. Nick previously held various roles within Starwood including providing credit oversight for various private and public real estate debt investments and was directly involved with the workouts and resolution of over $15 billion of non-performing loans and REO.
Prior to joining LNR Partners, Mr. Nick worked in Deutsche Bank's Real Estate Investment Banking division and focused on corporate finance transactions related to Gaming, Lodging and Leisure as well as acquisition of non-performing real estate loan portfolios in Asia and Latin America.
Mr. Nick received a B.S. degree with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration.
Ms. Stephenson is a Managing Director in Prime Finance’s CMBS Investments group in New York where she is responsible for the sourcing and credit selection of new-issue CMBS B-pieces. Prior to joining Prime Finance, Ms. Stephenson was a Vice President at Starwood Mortgage Capital in its credit and underwriting group. During her five-year tenure at Starwood, Ms. Stephenson underwrote over 140 CMBS loans with an aggregate face value of $1.65 billion. Earlier in her career, Ms. Stephenson worked at RREEF America, L.L.C., focused on sourcing, underwriting, and asset managing mezzanine and B-note investments for transitional properties and she began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was involved with the valuation of regional shopping malls. Ms. Stephenson is currently on the CREFC Board of Governors and previously served as CREFC’s Chair of the B-Piece Buyer Forum and on the Women’s Network Professional Development Committee.
Ms. Stephenson graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies.
Keith Banhazl is a Managing Director, Co-Head of Americas Structured Finance & Head of Commercial Real Estate Finance, Americas at Moody’s Ratings. He is also the Digital Infrastructure and Data Center Franchise Lead for North America covering Project & Infrastructure, Public Finance, Corporates, REITs, Banking, and Structured. Additionally, he leads the teams responsible for CMBS & CRE CLO new ratings and surveillance at Moody’s Ratings. The team is responsible for reviewing Conduit/Fusion, Large Loan/Single Borrower, Agency CMBS, Credit Tenant Lease, Small Balance Commercial, CRE CLO, CRE CDO and other private credit CRE related products. He is also the coordinator for our cross group CRE related initiatives covering Structured, Banking, Corporates, REITs, Public finance, and Project & Infrastructure. He is Moody’s Global Structured Finance Outreach and Research Coordinator and has been involved in various research initiatives and outreach activities related to the CRE securitization space, publishing and speaking on Moody’s behalf. Prior to being appointed to his current position, Mr. Banhazl was a Managing Director within the Structured Finance Group leading the US CMBS and CRE CLO/CDO Surveillance team and the review of primary US CRE CLO/CDO transactions, including the credit assessment team for commercial real estate assets within CRE CDO’s and CLO’s as well as Structured Credit transactions. He is on the Board of Governors at CREFC (Commercial Real Estate Finance Council) and also a Board Member at StreetWise Partners - non-profit organization focusing on mentoring and coaching.
Mr. Banhazl has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in Economics and History.
Angela M. Aman has served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors since January 2024. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Aman served as President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Brixmor Property Group from September 2023 to January 2024 and as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from May 2016 until her promotion in September 2023.
Prior to joining Brixmor, Ms. Aman held Chief Financial Officer roles at Starwood Retail Partners from 2015 to 2016 and Retail Properties of America, Inc. from 2011 to 2015. From 2005 to 2011, she was a member of the RREEF real estate securities team, serving as an investment analyst and later as a Portfolio Manager and from 2001 to 2005, she was a member of real estate investment banking group at Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.
Ms. Aman is a member of the Board of Trustees at Equity Residential, where she chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee. She is also a member of NAREIT's Executive Board and Governance Committee. Additionally, Ms. Aman serves on the UCLA Anderson School of Management Board of Advisors and the Executive Committee of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.