Situs, a global provider of commercial real estate (CRE) advisory services and integrated process and technology solutions, today announced the expansion of its West Coast presence, providing clients in the region with its full suite of CRE products and bank advisory offerings.

Leading Situs' efforts in the target region is long-time industry veteran Eric Smith, who has been named Business Development Leader. In addition to developing new business opportunities, in this newly created role, Mr. Smith will work with the firm's clients in such areas as liquidity, valuation, capital, financing, servicing and investment. Based in Situs' San Francisco office, Mr. Smith will report to Kenneth Segal, Head of Situs' Bank and Loan Advisory Group, and Eric Lindner, Executive Managing Director and Head of Situs' global servicing businesses.

Among the specific Situs services its West Coast clients are utilizing include CRE advisory, bank recapitalization and loan advisory, back-office fulfillment, primary servicing and surveillance, technology, staff augmentation, valuation management, due diligence and loan underwriting, government sponsored enterprise and multifamily advisory, lease and loan abstracting and financial/accounting due diligence.

"As we continue to expand our global reach, including the regions across the United States, there is a strong demand for our core offerings in the West Coast," said Mr. Segal. "By integrating Eric's impressive background and track record with our innovative offerings, we are confident that it will spur further growth with our suite of services and bolster our presence within this target region."

A successful finance executive with more than 25 years of business development experience, Mr. Smith has been focused on the real estate sector, utilizing full resources to assist clients with liquidity, valuation, capital, financing, servicing and investment returns. In addition, Mr. Smith currently serves as an Independent Director at KBS Strategic Opportunity REIT, and is the Chair of the organization's Conflicts Committee, as well as a member of its Audit Committee.

"I'm deeply impressed by the depth of Situs' commitment to its clients' successes as the firm continues to expand the services it offers," said Mr. Smith. "I am excited to be joining an innovative firm with market leading services, such as the advisory, primary and special servicing and staffing solutions Situs offers and growing its west coast presence."

Mr. Smith joins Situs from Loan Value Group, where he served as a Managing Director focused on establishing sales strategies for a suite of products with senior executives of banks and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Previously, Mr. Smith spent 23 years at Credit Suisse and its predecessor firms as a Managing Director for Structured Product Sales as well as Branch Fixed Income Manager, where he supervised a regional group of 15 professionals with sales coverage responsibilities for the firm's clients in the Western United States. He also held multiple roles within First Boston, including Vice President Whole Loan Sales, Vice President Fixed Income Sales, and Director Structured Product Sales, where his responsibilities involved covering banks, thrifts, mortgage bankers, REITs, insurance companies, and pension funds for securitized products, residential and commercial loan sales and purchases. He earned his Bachelor of Science in finance from California State University, Sacramento.

About Situs

Since 1985, Situs, a Ranieri Partners Company, is the premier provider of end-to-end commercial real estate and loan advisory services and integrated solutions, offering customized services to leading financial institutions, investors, owners, and developers. Situs proffers four main services: enterprise and process improvement; capital markets and commercial real estate advisory; primary and special servicing; and creative staffing solutions. Situs' business provides customized solutions that mitigate deal execution risk for clients while maximizing operating margins. Situs is headquartered in Houston and has offices throughout the United States and Europe.

PRESS:
Cognito
Jacqueline Gogel
+1 646 395 6300
situs@cognitomedia.com