Feb 04, 2000

Keystroke.com

Mortgage Technology has named Keystroke.com Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hausauer Top Mortgage Technologist of 1999. The Seattle technology pioneer became the first in the online lending industry to win the magazine's top honor two years in a row.

In addition, the magazine singled out Keystroke.com's universal lending platform for the first Stephen Fraser Memorial Award for Excellence in Technology. Judges said Keystroke.com's platform represents a breakthrough for the financial services industry by providing unprecedented speed and capacity for Web-based loan processing and decision-making. Fraser, who died last summer, created IMX Exchange, the first online Internet auction for wholesale loans. The technology has been emulated by such e-commerce giants as E-Bay and priceline.com.

"These awards serve as a benchmark that we are on the right track," said Hausauer, who founded Keystroke.com in 1995 when he bought the company from Seattle Northwest Securities. Keystroke.com was the first to offer a multi-lender mortgage Web site for consumers. Hausauer subsequently directed the technology to encompass an advanced rate decision engine used in the universal lending platform. Recently upgraded so it can process any kind of financial transaction from anywhere, the platform helps financial institutions migrate decisions and processing for loan products on the Web.

Among Keystroke.com customers are Washington Mutual, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Credit Corp., Bank United and Bank One.

Pinnacle Realty Management

Pinnacle Realty Management, a 4-year-old Seattle company, closed 65 miultifamily office and industrial transactions totaling more than $650 million in 1999. The company notes that its 30-person brokerage team accomplished this in a quiet real estate year devoid of REIT mania and Asian portfolio dumping.

"Our totals were slightly off 1998's record-setting performance, but in a relatively quiet year for brokerage, we more than held our own," said Executive Vice President Greg Beckel.

In 1999, Pinnacle brokered sales totaling 10,195 apartment units. Deals stretched across 19 states, four more than in 1998. The client base grew to include AIMCO, Equity Residential, Met Life and Principal Financial Group. More than half of the new owners asked Pinnacle to manage their properties. The brokerage's top transaction was a $205 million deal: Pinnacle represented Henderson Investors, which bought Mutual Benefits Life's four-state, 11-property portfolio.

Pinnacle manages more than 87,000 multifamily units and 9.8 million square feet of commercial space nationwide.

Winderemere

J.J. Johnston of Windermere Real Estate's Bellevue-Commons office has been named the 1999 Associate of the Year by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. Johnston is a 15-year Windermere veteran and who has served on the Master Builders Association's Board of Directors and is past chairman of the group's Sales and Marketing Council. The council recently won a national award under his leadership. He also is chairman of the group's annual Dream Playhouse community service program that raises money for local charities by raffling custom-built playhouses. In addition, Johnston has received four gold and 21 silver Master Builders' Merchandising and Marketing Excellence Awards.

John L. Scott

Marie Avalon is a new sales associate at John L. Scott Real Estate's Laurelhurst office in Seattle. According to the company, she has extensive experience with contracts, negotiations and creative problem solving.

Jack White Real Estate

Robin Spencer of Prudential Jack White Real Estate in Anchorage, Alaska, has received the eCertified designation from The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc. It is awarded to sales associates who meet criteria and complete training that helps agents serve the real estate needs of online consumers.

Shari Boyd has been named to the President's Council at Prudential Jack White Real Estate. Boyd, a residential associate broker, will represent all of the company's residential sales staff on the council that discusses company policy and procedures.

GMAC

GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp., has arranged $9.12 million in permanent financing for two commercial properties in Seattle. Nickerson Investments LLC received an 8.64 percent fixed rate loan of $5.8 million with a 20-year amortization for Nickerson Self Storage, a 937-unit facility at 1216 W. Nickerson St. The 106,041-square-foot facility is on 2.43 acres. Stuart Oswald of the GMAC Seattle office arranged the transaction. Wallace Enterprises received a variable floating rate, permanent loan for $3.25 million with a 40-year amortization for the 91,657-square-foot Hussman Building, which is on 3.49 acres at 7272 First Ave. S. Ron Peterson of the Seattle office arranged the transaction.

Jan 28, 2000

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo's Commercial Real Estate Group has hired Keith Dingfield as a relationship manager and vice president in Seattle. Dingfield is responsible for serving the financial and real estate needs of major commercial real estate developers in the Puget Sound region. The Commercial Real Estate Group provides a range of financing including for income property and single-family home tracts. Dingfield has 10 years' experience in financial services. His career includes positions in the Real Estate Groups at Mitsubishi Trust and Union Bank of California.

Insignia/ESG

Mark T. Walsh, CFA, CPM and RPA has been hired as director of property management by Insignia/ESG, which is expanding its property management capabilities in the Pacific Northwest. He will be responsible for the company's existing property management accounts in Oregon and will spearhead expansion into Seattle.

Walsh has managed more than 10 million square feet and leased in excess of 5 million square feet of mostly Class A assets in the Northwest. He has 13 years' experience and previously worked for Colliers International, Kennedy Associates Real Estate Counsel and Heitman Properties. Insignia/ESG strategy is to become a leading full-service provider for West Coast property owners.

The company already has a management and leasing portfolio of more than 5.7 million square feet in the Northwest. Insignia/ESG entered the Portland market in 1997 by acquiring Forum Properties. Across the nation, the company is one of the largest commercial real estate service providers. Among its Northwest clients are Principal Capital Management LLC, CarrAmerica Realty, GE Capital Investment Advisors, RREEF, Benaroya Co., and JDI Tacoma Limited Adv.

Prudential Commercial Real Estate

Seattle residential real estate veterans Roger Cayce and Mike Gain have established Prudential Northwest Commercial Real Estate LLC to provide brokerage services for leasing and sales of commercial real estate in the Puget Sound region. In addition, the company will provide property management, development and construction management services, business opportunity brokerage, and market and property research. Cayce and Gain own Prudential Northwest Realty Associates Inc., which has more than 210 residential agents in four offices that produce more than $500 million in residential sales and more than $60 million in commercial sales annually. Cayce said the new company will offer a range of real estate services through the Prudential Strategic Partners' Alliance.

The Counselors of Real Estate

Gary R. Danklefsen of CB Richard Ellis has been elected chairman and membership officer for the Counselors of Real Estate's Pacific Northwest Chapter. Russell W. Segner of Kidder Mathews & Segner, was elected vice chairman, secretary and treasurer, and Donald G. Spencer of Real Estate Advisory Services was elected vice chairman. The chapter's jurisdiction is Alaska, Idaho and Washington. According to CRE, it is an international group of high-profile professionals including members of prominent real estate, financial, legal and accounting firms as well as leaders of government and academia who provide objective advice on complex real property issues. Membership is selective and extended by invitation only.

WSCAR

Jeff Johnson of Kiemle & Hagood, the largest property management and commercial real estate company in the Inland Northwest, was installed as 2000 president of the Washington State Commercial Association of Realtors. Michael R. Bradley, sales manager and associate broker at Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate Inc., was reinstalled as the organization's secretary-treasurer for 2000. He also was elected as an alternate board member of the Washington Association of Realtors. WSCAR, which strives to foster appreciation of the role commercial real estate plays in communities, is associated with the Washington Association of Realtors.

WAR

The Washington Association of Realtors recently installed four vice presidents for 2000. They are Larry Johnson of John L. Scott in Silverdale, vice-president of information systems; Eunice Hickerson of Windermere Real Estate in Kennewick, education; Rose Galloway, of Windermere, business practices; and Rebecca Anderson, of Century 21 Valley Homes and Investments, association operations.

Keystroke.com

Seattle-based Keystroke.com, which provides online lending technology, has developed a universal lending platform it says enables financial companies to reduce the costs of loan processing by as much as half, speed up the loan application process, increase loan closure rates and capture customer data for cross marketing of financial products. The platform allows lenders to brand and offers dozens of customized loan products - from first mortgages and refinances to credit cards - to consumers from one Web site. The platform appears under the identity of the lender. Users enter data and answer a series of credit and income questions. The platform uses this information to select lending programs for the consumer. Keystroke is 5 years old and created the first multi-lender mortgage marketplace on the Internet in 1996.

Pinnacle Realty Management

Seattle-based Pinnacle Realty Management Co., recently brokered two apartment transactions totaling more than $20 million. Jo Maynard, Jeff Gilson and Tim Campbell represented seller, Equity Residential, in the $7 million sale of the 82-unit Metropolitan Park, 601 S. Washington St., in Seattle to Metropolitan Park LP. Campbell and Gilson also closed the $13.8 million sale of Factoria Heights, a 145-unit property in Bellevue at 13180 S.E. Newport Way. Campbell and Gilson represented the seller, American Investment Management Co., of Tokyo. The buyers were Factoria Heights LLC. In addition to brokering the deals, Pinnacle will continue to manage both properties.

Windermere

The nonprofit Windermere Foundation last year raised more than $1 million, a 30 percent increase over 1998. The funds were donated to more than 250 Northwest organizations that assist homeless and low-income children and families. Each time a Windermere agents sells a home, a portion of the commission goes to the 10-year-old foundation. That provides about half the group's income. Other money comes from Windermere employees' contributions.

Doug Hicks has joined Windermere's Magnolia office in Seattle, and Daniel Riley has joined the Eastlake office, also in Seattle. Both are sales associates. Hicks previously worked in the broadcast industry, and Riley was with The Landmark Group in Seattle.