Office Expansion

CARMEL, Ind. (April 18, 2019) – Leading mortgage banking company Merchants Capital today announces the opening of a production office in Chicago, located at 131 S. Dearborn St. in The Loop – the company’s fourth office nationwide. Lee Oller has been hired as executive vice president to lead the Chicago team. Oller brings 26 years of experience as a Chief and LEAN Underwriter and has produced more than 350 closed transactions involving the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) loan platforms. She brings a deep understanding of FHA, multifamily and affordable housing that will allow Merchants Capital to grow its local presence in Chicago and regionally across the Midwest. “Merchants Capital is well known in the industry for its passion for multifamily and affordable housing,” Oller said. “The biggest draw to joining Merchants was the ability to diversify our lending products especially Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The additional tools at our disposal, along with Merchants commitment to growth and innovation with the support from its banking operation, Merchants Bank, made the decision easy because of the direct benefit to clients.” Joining Oller in the new Chicago office are four senior vice presidents: Susan Schnoll, Alan Cravitz, Brian Black and Emmett Donovan. Schnoll is recognized in the Wisconsin market for her HUD lending knowledge. Cravitz, Black and Donovan bring more than 80 years of combined multifamily lending experience to the team. “This veteran team complements each other and has worked together for many years,” said Oller of the employees joining her in the new Chicago office. “Our expansion to Chicago with this talented group is a very meaningful step in increasing our national lending footprint,” said Michael Dury, president of Merchants Capital. “Lee’s ability to lead is remarkable. We are very excited to introduce her team to our diverse lending products that will allow them to offer a wide variety of solutions.” This expansion follows Merchants Capital’s announcement that it is now servicing more than $10 billion in loans and was named No. 10 on the Top 25 Affordable Lenders of 2018 list by Affordable Housing Finance. The company continues to seek driven employees for a number of positions in all four offices, including New York City and Saint Paul, Minnesota. For career opportunities, visit our careers page.