Press Release

CARMEL, Ind. (April 24, 2023) – Leading financial services provider Merchants Capital today announced the promotion of Evan Gibson to Executive Vice President, Capital Markets. Gibson leads the platform, which creates liquidity and capital relief for Merchants Bank and aids Merchants Capital in providing innovative financing solutions for multifamily and affordable housing developments nationwide. He previously served as Senior Vice President. Gibson’s team has securitized or transferred risk on more than $5.2 billion in multifamily and healthcare loans from Merchants Bank’s balance sheet, resulting in significant capital relief. The team has expanded Merchants’ pool of institutional investors and risk transfer structures, assumed greater ownership in investor relations, and executed multiple innovative securitizations under the Freddie Mac Q-Series program.   Evan Gibson Gibson originated Merchants’ capital markets platform in 2020, growing it from a one-person operation to a team that plays a strategic role in the Merchants ecosystem. “Evan’s achievements would be significant in any market, but to consistently execute through the recent interest rate and market cycle is remarkable,” said Brian Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer at Merchants Capital. “The strength in Merchants’ capital markets and investor relations platforms is a direct reflection of Evan’s leadership—now evidenced in the multifaceted team he is growing. We applaud his well-deserved promotion and look forward to his continued impact on our company." Previously the head of direct lending at a top U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) lender, Gibson also worked as a commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) bond trader and market maker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Gibson is a military veteran and former Infantryman in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Washington.  To learn more about Merchants Capital and its services, visit www.merchantscapital.com or find Merchants Capital on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

CARMEL, Ind. (April 10, 2023) – Leading financial services provider Merchants Capital today announced that it has expanded its executive leadership team with the promotion of Chris Messmann to Executive Vice President. He oversees the tax credit equity division’s asset management, fund and risk management teams, including pre-closing financial projections and post-closing investor reporting.   Messmann contributed to the extensive growth of Merchants’ tax credit equity platform, which boasts more than $1.4 billion of equity under management in its third year of operation and is now a nationally ranked syndicator working with top developer and investor partners nationwide.        “We are extremely fortunate to count Chris among our executive team and congratulate him on this well-earned promotion,” said Julie Sharp, Executive Vice President of Tax Credit Equity at Merchants Capital. “His leadership has been invaluable during the past three years and his promotion is a direct reflection on the investments we are making in our team, systems and processes that will enable us to serve our investor and developer clients for decades to come.” Messmann joined Merchants Capital in 2021, having served in a leadership role for 10 years at a national tax credit equity syndicator. Prior to that, Messmann was a tax accountant at Dauby O’Connor and Zaleski, one of the largest Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) accounting firms in the United States. “Our team is achieving remarkable success in the tax credit equity space, reflecting strongly on our innovative platform and dedicated team of professionals,” said Messmann. “I’m honored to join the executive team that is driving our strategic growth.” To learn more about Merchants Capital and its services, visit www.merchantscapital.com or find Merchants Capital on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

CARMEL, Ind. (March 13, 2024) – Leading financial services provider Merchants Capital today announced that it provided more than $6.2 billion in debt and $656 million in tax credit equity financing for 2023. The company leveraged the Merchants Bank balance sheet for more than $4 billion in production and ended the year with more than $25 billion in assets under management.     Merchants Capital achieved top government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) lender rankings in 2023, including: • #1 Freddie Mac Multifamily Optigo® TAH Lender • Top 5 Fannie Mae 2023 Producers for Multifamily Affordable Housing “It’s been phenomenal to see the evolution of our partnerships with Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and HUD,” said Dwayne George, Executive Vice President, Agency Production at Merchants Capital. “Continued investment in the platforms will drive greater efficiencies for creative structures and solutions for our clients. Accolades are a great measure of past success; however, the executive team remains grounded in our client-centric mission, vision and values to chart out a path for the future.” The company also attained rankings that include: • Top 10 HUD Lenders of 2023 • #7 Top Mortgage Banking and Brokerage Firms of 2024 by Multi-Housing News • #10 Top Commercial Mortgage Banking and Brokerage Firms of 2024 by Commercial Property Executive Merchants was previously named the #3 Multifamily Affordable Lender by the Mortgage Bankers Association and the #2 Top Affordable Lender of 2022 by Affordable Housing Finance. “Our ability to provide innovative debt products for both market rate and affordable housing projects allows our partners to execute on their financing needs—despite challenging market conditions,” said Lee Oller, Executive Vice President, Originations and head of Merchants’ Chicago office. “It is rewarding to see a growing number of communities being enriched as a result. We thank our clients for their vision and our team for their commitment.” Merchants continued to execute innovative capital markets strategies, closing two securitizations in 2023: a $304 million Freddie Mac Q-Series transaction, the company’s fourth since 2021, and a $1.13 billion Capital Relief Trade (CRT) transaction backed by healthcare commercial real estate (CRE). The CRT is the market’s first such securitization collateralized by CRE assets. It was awarded Honorable Mention for the 2023 North American Transaction of the Year by Structured Credit Investor. Merchants’ tax credit equity platform posted unprecedented growth since its launch in 2021. The platform recently surpassed $1.4 billion in equity raised in three years and posted back-to-back fund closings in December 2023 and January 2024 of more than $430 million. “We gained market share last year despite a pullback from many different lenders and investors,” said Michael Dury, President and Chief Executive Officer at Merchants Capital. “I continue to be very impressed with the execution of our team at Merchants and I am particularly grateful for the trust and the commitment of our industry partners.” Merchants is headquartered in Carmel, Ind. with offices in New York City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C. To learn more about Merchants Capital and its services, visit www.merchantscapital.com or find Merchants Capital on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.