Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it is the fourth largest lender to the U.S. commercial real estate industry based on the 2020 Mortgage Bankers Association loan origination rankings. Walker & Dunlop has grown its total lending volume at a 25% compound annual growth rate over the past decade, from $2.7 billion in 2010 to $24.7 billion in 2020.
Willy Walker, Chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop, commented, "Our goal to be the premier commercial real estate finance company in the United States was established in 2010 when we lent a relatively small $2.7 billion, versus Wells Fargo in the top spot at over $30 billion. And over the past ten years, due to recruiting the very best bankers and brokers in the industry, investing in and implementing actionable technology, and growing our brand dramatically, we lent $25 billion in 2020 and moved up to #4 in the league tables. What an accomplishment! At #4, we are right behind some of the biggest names in the industry - KeyBank, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan."
Mr. Walker continued, "Despite the fact that we are now a top-five CRE lender, we have a fantastic opportunity to grow further and faster due to our people, brand, and technology. We are only a firm of 1,000 people, and as technology continues to revolutionize the way commercial property owners finance and sell their assets, we have the ability to make our bankers and brokers more insightful, more efficient, and more productive. While the banks and financial services institutions we compete with every day have big brands and big balance sheets, we believe we are better positioned strategically due to our size, market presence, and capacity to invest in people and technology."
Walker & Dunlop's debt financing volume grew 32% in 2020 while the overall commercial real estate financing market declined by 27%.1 Walker & Dunlop was also named in the annual Mortgage Bankers Association rankings as the largest provider of capital to the multifamily sector, largest Fannie Mae DUS® lender, seventh largest commercial loan servicer, and largest Fannie Mae multifamily loan servicer in the United States.
1 Mortgage Bankers Association Commercial Real Estate Finance Forecast, February 2021
About Walker & Dunlop
Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States. The company provides a comprehensive range of capital solutions for all commercial real estate asset classes, as well as investment sales brokerage services to owners of multifamily properties. Walker & Dunlop is included on the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and was ranked as one of FORTUNE Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies in 2014, 2017, and 2018. Walker & Dunlop's 1,000+ professionals in 38 offices across the nation have an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.
