CREFC launches debt training program

The Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) has launched its first property sector debt training course.

The five-day program is aimed at professionals working in the lending and debt investing parts of the real estate industry.

The course will include speakers from leading market participants and academic institutions including BAML, Barclays, CBRE, Clifford Chance, Deutsche Bank, TH Real Estate and De Montfort University.

CREFC Europe said the course was a response to industry demands for training and education at a time when firms were scrambling to bolster their teams in an increasingly competitive lending market.

“With firms busy hiring and parts of the market arguably overheating, this feels like exactly the right time to launch a training program specifically designed for less experienced commercial real estate lenders,” said Peter Cosmetatos, chief executive of CREFC Europe.

The importance of suitable training for commercial real estate lenders was highlighted in last year’s industry report, A Vision for Real Estate Finance in the UKThe report stressed the need to loosen the dangerous feedback loops between property and credit cycles.

“This is an important initiative from CREFC Europe that can help meet a market need,” said Matt Webster, head of real estate finance at HSBC.

“The Vision report rightly highlighted the specialized nature of commercial real estate lending and the need for lenders and their advisers to see the bigger picture and understand the risks as well as the returns.”

The program is schedule for 20-24 July and will cost £3,500 + VAT for CREFC Europe members and £4,500 + VAT for non-members.