Wells Fargo : Launches Investor Real Estate Initiative in Southwest

PHOENIX - Wells Fargo announced today that it has launched a new investor real estate initiative in the Southwest U.S. through its Middle Market Banking division. The investment expands the bank's regional resources for Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and West Texas to serve real estate investors with a dedicated relationship manager.

'The Southwest's active real estate market played a key role in Wells Fargo's decision to add a local banker to serve Southwest companies,' said Neal Crapo, who leads the Southwest Division for Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking. 'We're bringing enhanced services and expertise to a Southwest industry we understand and are passionate about.'

Ivan Ferraz, a 13-year Wells Fargo commercial lender based in Phoenix, leads the initiative. In his new role, Ferraz serves as the primary, specialized lending resource, helping the regional Middle Market Banking offices in the four Southwest states develop and grow relationships with real estate investors and meet their specific lending needs. The group primarily focuses on providing both recourse and non-recourse lending options to real estate investors, with the average loan size being $8 million. In addition to the real estate specialty within Middle Market Banking, Wells Fargo is an industry leader in commercial real estate through its dedicated Commercial Real Estate business that provides a comprehensive set of banking, financing, and servicing solutions for commercial real estate clients across the country.

'Wells Fargo's commitment to our clients, communities, and the investor real estate sector is unmatched in the industry,' Ferraz said. 'This a great opportunity to better serve our clients' real estate financing needs.'

Prior to his new role, Ferraz was a senior relationship manager with Wells Fargo's Middle Market Banking team in Arizona, serving midsize and large corporate companies with revenues greater than $20 million. Besides traditional working capital financing, but he also provided financing solutions for real estate projects, including assisted living facilities, student housing, owner-occupied structures, and real estate capital markets. Prior to that, he was the regional trade services manager for the West Coast and Mountain states, responsible for providing trade solutions and managing risks for Wells Fargo's corporate customers and prospects engaged in global trade.

Ferraz graduated from Universidade Estácio de Sá in Rio de Janeiro with a bachelor's degree in hotel management. He graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with a bachelor's in economics, international business, and real estate. He earned his MBA in finance and supply chain management from University of La Verne in California.

Ferraz is involved with the United Way and American Cancer Society. In addition, he is a member of the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council Southwest Chapter, and previously served in the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids board. A Brazilian national, Ferraz moved to the U.S. in 1992 and gained dual citizenship in 2002.

About Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking

Wells Fargo is No. 1 in total middle market banking share in the U.S. and has the most primary banking relationships with middle market companies with $25 million to $500 million in annual sales.* With 140 offices in 38 states and four Canadian provinces, Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking provides local service and decision-making for businesses with $20 million to $1 billion-plus in annual sales. Asset-based lending, traditional secured loans, and capital markets provide access to working capital for day-to-day operations and growth. Expertise and services are available to specialty industries, including technology, food and agribusiness, healthcare, government, higher education, clean technology, and environmental services. Watch stories about successful middle market companies at http://wholesalebanking.wf.com/cmbg-success-stories.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,300 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 263,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune's 2017 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

*Barlow Research Middle Market Rolling 8 Quarter Data 4Q2014-4Q2017, showing Wells Fargo's competitive market performance among companies with $25MM-<$500MM in sales for both primary bank market share and total market share (primary + up to 3 additional banks used). Deposit products offered by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.