About Us At the BAY AREA MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION

The Bay Area Mortgage Association “BAMA” was founded in 1953 by a small group of commercial real estate professionals and over its 65+ year history has grown to nearly 300 members. BAMA is one of the most active, locally focused, commercial real estate industry organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Members include commercial real estate brokers, lenders, developers, and investors in all stages of their career, ranging from new analysts to seasoned industry veterans. Guests include lawyers, appraisers, engineers, title professionals, tech workers, consultants, and beyond.

BAMA hosts monthly events that are a mix of social events with networking opportunities along with informational panels about relevant topics in the commercial real estate industry, with an emphasis on mortgage and finance. BAMA is a welcoming organization with members and guests who work in companies ranging from small or private companies to large, institutional firms.

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Longest Running Real Estate Finance Group

BAMA was founded in 1953 by three East Bay commercial real estate professionals: John J Peters, Joseph Duffel, and Donald W. Mitchel. They subsequently reached out to several industry contacts and the first BAMA meeting was held at Emil Villa Restaurant in Oakland where John Peters was elected the first President. The first speaker was Wilbur Warner of Western Mortgage and the following meeting’s speaker was Milt Owens of Owens Financial.

Over its history, BAMA has had 65 Past Presidents who are recognized further below. One of the strengths of BAMA is the involvement of the Past Presidents with the organization and Executive Board. The BAMA Past Presidents make themselves available for guidance related to the BAMA organization and also available for career mentorship and helping make connections within the industry.

BAMA Executive Board

BAMA is non-profit organization that is ran by a volunteer-based Executive Board, shown below. The board consults annually with the BAMA Past Presidents to discuss topics of the organization’s event planning, membership trends, and growth goals. The BAMA Executive Board is a progressive tenure where board members commit to a 5-year investment and conclude their term as President. The goal of the board is to maintain the standards of the organization set by Past Presidents, plan stimulating events that are relevant to the commercial real estate industry, and actively engage with BAMA members and guests to keep the organization thriving. The board adds a new member every spring; if you are interested in joining, feel free to reach out to any of the board members to have a conversation.

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Jessica Carter

PRESIDENT

Archway Capital

310 · 893 · 7176 

president@sfbama.com

Jessica Carter is Vice President of Originations at Archway Capital, LLC. With nearly a decade of experience in Residential and Commercial Real Estate Lending, Jessica focuses on Business Development and Origination of short-term bridge debt and equity for sponsors nationwide. Jessica specializes in underwriting and originating commercial real estate loans in various asset classes, including Multifamily, SFR, Industrial, and Retail. Jessica prides herself on developing strong broker partnerships by focusing on her value-add approach and client-centric focus. By effectively navigating the volatility of the real estate market, by specializing in bespoke lending scenarios and developing creative loan solutions, she has successfully closed over $200M in financing throughout her career.

Prior to joining Archway, Jessica served as Regional Account Manager at a leading alternative investment management firm that focuses on commercial real estate loans in the lower middle market. Prior to that, she served as Residential Mortgage Loan Processor at Banc of California, one of the nation’s premier relationship-based business banks, providing banking and treasury management services to small-, middle-market, and venture-backed businesses.

Jessica was born and raised in San Jose, CA, where she attended San Jose State University. She currently serves as President of the Bay Area Mortgage Association and has served on the board for 5 years. In 2024, she was honored at Bisnow’s Northern California Women Leading Real Estate Conference as a ‘Power Woman’ to recognize her accomplishments in the real estate industry. In 2022, she was named as one of ConnectCRE’s Top Mortgage Brokers & Lenders. During her free time, Jessica enjoys cooking international cuisine and spending time with her husband and daughter. 

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Briana Harney

VP OF PROGRAMS

Northmarq

415 · 433 · 8840

vp_programs@sfbama.com

Briana Harney is a Vice President in NorthMarq’s San Francisco office. She is responsible for placing both debt and equity for her clients with a focus on Bay Area transactions. During her career at NorthMarq she has directly or with a team closed over $2.5 billion in debt and equity transactions covering the full spectrum of lender and product types. Briana leverages her knowledge of the market, a reliable out-to-market strategy, and strong relationships with lenders and investors to bring the best capital solutions to her clients.

 

Briana is an active member of NAIOP where she currently serves on the NAIOP SFBA Board and is co-chair of the Membership Committee. She has previously served as co-chair of the Young Professionals Group (YPG) Alumni Committee and was a member of the 5th class of the YPG program. She is also a past President of the Berkeley Real Estate Alumni Association (BREAA), a non-profit alumni organization affiliated with UC Berkeley, and has served on the board of BREAA since 2018. In addition to those roles, Briana is actively involved in Urban Land Institute San Francisco, the Bay Area Mortgage Association, the Mortgage Bankers Association, CREW, and The Women of Real Estate.

 

Briana earned her B.A. at UC Berkeley where, as an undergraduate she played on the Women's Division I Field Hockey team. She later earned her Masters in Business Administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Continuing to pursue her passion for sports and team camaraderie, Briana is currently a member of the Olympic Club’s Women’s Field Hockey team and was a member of the Olympic Club team that won the USFHL Women’s Club National Championship in 2019.

 

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AJ Bolino

VP OF MEMBERSHIP

Regions

949 · 381 · 2782

vp_membership@sfbama.com

AJ Bolino is a Director with Regions Real Estate Capital Markets, focused on both Small Balance and Conventional Agency lending. He joined Sabal Capital (acquired by Regions) in 2019.

 

His experience in institutional lending is rich and varied, beginning at GE Capital (focused on CMBS/Structured Debt across all asset classes), then Berkadia (focused on Freddie Mac/Life Co executions), Chase (focused on Multifamily assets with CTL’s MFL Group) and Banc of California (focused on all asset classes, focused on bridge debt and stabilized portfolio products) before moving into his current role.

 

Prior to his career in commercial lending, he served in the United States Marine Corps, discharged from the USMCR in 1999. He is a lifelong Bay Area resident and seventh generation Californian. He spends his free time pursuing his passions: fitness, the outdoors, live sporting events and live music. He has a BA in Business Management from San Jose State University, and currently lives in Daly City, CA.

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Jake Berry

TREASURER

Rubicon Mortgage Fund

925 · 283 · 8919

treasurer@sfbama.com

Jake Berry is a loan originator at Rubicon Mortgage Fund, LLC. He focuses on providing short-term financing on commercial and residential properties throughout the state of California. Jake has extensive knowledge in originating and underwriting a multitude of properties including industrial, retail, multifamily, office, hospitality, etc. He also aids in determining the status of Rubicon’s current loan portfolio through underwriting various loan scenarios and property types.

 

Jake is an active member of the Bay Area Mortgage Association (BAMA), Belden Club and serves on the board of committee of HIF Building Leaders Initiative. He earned a degree in Hospitality Management at Utah Valley University and played on the Division 1 Baseball team. He currently resides in San Francisco.

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Parker Watson

SECRETARY

Slatt Capital

415 · 423 · 1730 

secretary@sfbama.com

Parker joined Slatt Capital as a loan servicing analyst and excelled supporting a $2.2 billion dollar Life Co. portion of Slatt Capital's growing $5+ Billion dollar portfolio. Mr. Watson transitioned to business generation role as an Associate and Commercial Mortgage Banker operating out of the company's San Francisco office. Previously, Parker served as an analyst with Rubicon Mortgage Fund, LLC. In his free time, Parker likes to cook, travel, watch sports, and incorporate the life of an outdoor enthusiast.

Parker Watson graduated from University of Oregon with a degree in economics, complemented with a concentration in business finance including a minor in business administration and city planning.

PAST BAMA PRESIDENTS

JOIN US AT AN EVENT!

For many years, the monthly dinner meetings were held at Castagnola’s Restaurant in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco. After each dinner, a guest speaker or panel discusses various real estate financing topics. Information about upcoming meetings can be found on our Events page.

REGISTER TODAY!