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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.

Rick salinas

Rick Salinas

PRESIDENT

JLL

415 · 510 · 6960

[email protected]

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Rick Salinas is the 2019-2020 President of BAMA. Rick is currently a Director in the San Francisco office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas, specializing in multifamily debt and equity placement nationwide with an emphasis in the Western Region. Rick has over 16 years of experience in commercial real estate finance and has held positions at JLL, HFF, Berkadia, and Wells Fargo. Rick is an expert in agency lending with Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac and has experience placing debt with all capital sources.

Justin Eichman

Justin Eichman

VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS

AB Capital

415 · 828 · 5685

[email protected]

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Mr. Eichman is a partner with AB Capital, a private real estate investment firm and California Finance Lender headquartered in Newport Beach that specializes in real estate secured debt investments in California. Prior to joining AB Capital, Mr. Eichman managed a national commercial real estate appraisal firm overseeing valuations on thousands of properties. Mr. Eichman holds an MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture and an MBA in Finance from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Tom Wight

Tom Wight

VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIPS

Northmarq

415 · 433 · 8843

[email protected]

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Tom is a commercial mortgage banker whose track record at NorthMarq includes underwriting and closing over $2.5 billion of debt and equity transactions encompassing the full spectrum of lender and property types. Tom is an active member of several local and national real estate groups, including the Bay Area Mortgage Association (BAMA), Berkeley Real Estate Alumni Association (BREAA), UCLA REAG, NAIOP YPG, ULI Next, the Belden Club, ACRE, and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Tom earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
CA DRE# 01441409

Cesar Pena

Cesar Peña

TREASURER

Rubicon

925 · 283 · 8919

[email protected]

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With Rubicon Mortgage Fund, LLC since 2013, Cesar Peña specializes in securing short-term financing for commercial and residential properties for real estate investors including foreign nationals. He is inspired by providing financing solutions to help investors grow their investment portfolios. Cesar is an active member of BAMA, and CCIM. He was honored to be invited to serve on the board of Bay Area Mortgage Association (BAMA) in San Francisco. He has a degree in Finance and Real Estate Management from Cal State East Bay. Cesar lives with his wife Fabiola in Walnut Creek.
CA DRE #01984871

Samuel Katsin

Samuel Katsin

SECRETARY

Chase

415 · 706 · 3043

[email protected]

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Sam Katsin is an Associate in JPMorgan Chase’s Commercial Term Lending division. With expertise in the financing of stabilized multifamily and mixed use properties on the West Coast, Sam assists his clients with both new acquisitions and refinancing. Chase’s customer process, dedicated to speed, efficiency, and certainty of execution, has made Chase the #1 multifamily lender Nationally and in California. A Bay Area native, Sam earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law.

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.

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