PLANO, TX-Madison Commercial Real Estate Services has named Brian Irwin as its new director of Texas operations for its affiliate Madison Title Agency, based here. The Dallas-Fort Worth region has seen a boom in new transaction activity in the past few months, Irwin tells GlobeSt.com, especially in REO activity.

Irwin had been VP of national commercial services for Republic Title of Texas. A company official did not return a call for comment on his new hire.

There’s been significant title activity flowing in the past quarter, Irwin says. “We’re starting to see more real deal sales. There were a lot of investors waiting on the sidelines but no one was pulling the trigger. Now there’s definitely been an uptick, especially in multifamily activity. It’s no 2007, but it’s also no 2009, either,” he says.

He says there’s also been an increase in receiverships and a subsequent reduction in values, which has been good news for commercial property purchasers. “The big lenders are starting to go into the market with a lot more product, and you’re seeing the CMBS pot grow. I was just talking to some friends who are now heading up CMBS operations for banks…I don’t know that it’s going to get like it was, but that product seems to be coming back.”