On Thursday, November 19, NYLIB will host a panel discussion on multifamily commercial real estate lending moderated by Robert Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Real Estate Advisor at Apple Bank. A distinguished panel will discuss the interface of laws and regulations, subsidies, rent controls, rental rates, and cost structures affecting multifamily lending, as well as tensions between the societal goal of affordable rental rates and the economic pressures on these properties (and on owners and lenders) under the current legal framework.
Moderator
Robert Smith joined Apple Bank in July 1992 and currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Real Estate Advisor. He oversees all activities within the Real Estate Valuation and Advisory Division (REVAD), as well as related commercial real estate activities throughout the Bank.
With a career spanning more than four decades, he has worked in commercial real estate since 1980 with leading real estate companies and financial institutions. He has served as a real estate advisor, reviewer and appraiser.
Mr. Smith has taught graduate-level commercial real estate courses as an adjunct at New York University's NYU-Schack Institute of Real Estate for the past 17 years. He currently serves as an adjunct instructor in the Fordham University Real Estate Institute (REI) Graduate School Degree program. He continues to serve as an Instructor for the Appraisal Institute (AI) and is a Certified USPAP instructor for the Appraisal Foundation (AF).
Speakers
David Aviram is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Maverick Real Estate Partners, a New York private equity manager that acquires criticized and non-performing loans secured by New York City commercial real estate. Since founding the firm in 2010, David has raised seven closed-end funds and closed more than 200 loan acquisitions.
Maverick frequently pays par for defaulted low-LTV paper and assumes the enforcement obligation that comes with it. Because of this, more than 90% of the loans Maverick has acquired were direct transactions without an intermediary. David also led the development of the firm's data platform, sharing this market intelligence with his close banking relationships to help those banks assess borrower/property/market risk in their CRE portfolios. Maverick is now deploying AI-enabled workflows on top of this proprietary data.
Prior to Maverick, David was a Vice President at Eastdil Secured and began his career at Bloomberg LP. He holds an MBA with a concentration in real estate finance from Columbia Business School and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Matthew Dzbanek is a Senior Director on Avison Young's Tri-State Debt & Equity Finance team, based in the firm's New York City office. He originates, structures and executes debt and equity assignments for commercial real estate owners and investors nationwide, focusing on expanding the firm's middle-market financing capabilities. He also works closely with Avison Young's New York City capital markets platform, which combines debt and equity finance with investment sales, to bring clients a fuller set of capital solutions.
Matt brings 15 years of commercial real estate finance experience and has closed more than $750 million in loan and equity assignments. Before joining Avison Young, he worked at Ariel Property Advisors, the Lightstone Group and CPEX, where he earned several awards and top-producer honors.
A native New Yorker, Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Washington University in St. Louis. He has also completed Real Estate Continuing Education studies at New York University and is an active member of UJA-Federation of New York.
Kenny Burgos is the inaugural CEO of the New York Apartment Association (NYAA), whose diverse membership owns and manages nearly 1 million affordable housing units in the NYC metropolitan area, making him the head of the largest trade organization representing private multifamily building owners in the country. With a deep-rooted passion for serving his community and a rich history of legislative leadership, his tenure, which began in August 2024, marks a new chapter in a distinguished career dedicated to ensuring affordable and equitable housing solutions across New York.
As an Assembly Member for New York’s 85th District in the Bronx, Kenny led housing policy reform. During his time in the Assembly, he spearheaded critical legislation to revamp rent-stabilization laws and boost housing supply, and he successfully championed bills to extend housing tax credits to families in need. His efforts have consistently focused on keeping money in New Yorkers' pockets and roofs over their heads, reflecting his commitment to both immediate relief and long-term housing sustainability.
Prior to the Assembly, Kenny worked in the New York City Council, where he helped shape budgets that strengthened affordable housing initiatives and provided financial assistance to renters facing hardship. His career has given him invaluable insight into the complexities of urban housing and the multifaceted approach needed to tackle these challenges effectively.
Raised in the Bronx alongside three sisters, Kenny’s early life was marked by firsthand experiences of the community’s acute needs and potential for growth. His family owns small businesses, so he understands both the challenges of running a business and the benefits it brings to the larger community and economy. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a degree in Economics from SUNY Albany, grounding his legislative acumen in strong academic credentials.
Kenny lives in the Bronx with his wife, son, and two dogs, and remains an active, dedicated member of his community. As the CEO of NYAA, he is poised to leverage his extensive experience and unwavering dedication to transform New York’s housing landscape, ensuring that every policy enacted under his leadership contributes to a fairer, more livable city for all.
