Angel Oak Commercial Lending, a specialty finance company committed to meeting the underserved financing needs of commercial real estate owners, developers and investors, welcomed two new hires: Daniel Friedman as senior vice president and Gavin Pohlhaus as underwriting analyst. The new hires come on the heels of a successful small-balance commercial loan securitization. As Angel Oak Commercial Lending looks to springboard off this momentum, the firm foresees originations surpassing $250 million in small-balance commercial real estate lending in 2021 and an additional $250 million in a middle-market bridge lending strategy.
Friedman joins Angel Oak in its New York office and will primarily be responsible for sourcing and structuring debt investments for the Angel Oak Commercial Real Estate Strategies group of investment funds. He brings over 14 years of experience in commercial real estate lending. Most recently, Friedman served as vice president at C-III Capital Partners, where he originated and underwrote both fixed-rate and bridge loans. Pohlhaus will work from Angel Oak’s headquarters in Atlanta, and both hires will report to co-president Nik Chillar.
“Angel Oak has decided to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the turmoil of a difficult year and will be launching a series of debt products designed to fill the needs of our high-quality borrowers as we build a solid foundation for growth in our commercial real estate business in 2021,” remarked Rick Gallitto, co-president of Angel Oak Commercial Lending. “The hiring of Mr. Friedman and Mr. Pohlhaus is just the start. With a focus on expanding our client base and improving our technological capabilities, we feel we are in a great position entering 2021.”
In tandem with Angel Oak’s employee growth initiatives, the firm has placed a strong emphasis on expanding and developing its technological resources. These include innovative data sciences, machine learning and intelligent credit algorithms the firm hopes to apply in developing its proprietary predictive credit modeling. The integration of these technologies supplements the team’s experience and expertise in achieving attractive results across several asset classes. Moving forward, the firm anticipates continued growth within the small-balance space and aims to increase its exposure to the institutional and middle lending market.
“As we embark on our growth initiatives, Daniel and Gavin are valuable additions who bring a variety of strengths that bolster our team,” remarked Chillar. “Their knowledge of the industry, paired with Angel Oak’s top-of-the-line technological resources, will allow us to continue offering exemplary service for our clients and further our goals within the commercial lending market.”
Angel Oak Commercial Lending intends to more than double its team this year and is actively hiring.