NEW YORK CITY- Commercial real estate finance company Walker & Dunlop has acquired capital markets advisory firm AKS Capital Partners in an initiative to grow its offerings to service the capital markets sector. AKS has a track record of servicing debt and equity advisors nationally, with a financing portfolio valued at over $50 billion for clients that include institutions, owners and operators.

"The acquisition of AKS Capital Partners is a game-changing addition that will propel the growth in our debt brokerage originations in 2020 and beyond. The team solidifies our presence in the most active commercial real estate market in the United States, advances the array of financing and equity solutions we offer to our institutional clients, and in particular strengthens our debt brokerage capabilities beyond the multifamily asset class," Willy Walker, Chairman & CEO of Walker & Dunlop, said in a prepared statement.

AKS partners Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, and Adam Schwartz will join Walker & Dunlop as senior managing directors and co-heads of the New York Capital Markets Practice and are responsible for developing the firm's book of business and origination across all commercial real estate asset classes.

Established in the summer of 2019, AKS has grown to a 15-person organization. Prior to founding AKS, Appel, Kurland, Schwartz, and Schwartz, who combined have five decades of industry experience, were annually named the highest producing debt and equity advisors when they were formally at Jones Lang LaSalle.

"We couldn't be happier about joining Walker & Dunlop," said AKS co-founding partner, Aaron Appel, in a prepared statement. "In six short months, fueled by acumen and energy, we have catapulted our firm into one of the leading operations of its kind in the country and have participated in closing some of the largest deals of 2019. Together with the capabilities and strength of Walker & Dunlop, our growth expectations are boundless."

AKS highlights from 2019 include arranging a $749 million debt refinancing for 335 Madison Ave., an $807 million debt refinancing for New York's iconic Crown Building and a $664 million construction financing for 9 Dekalb Ave., a 73-story trophy residential tower that upon completion will be the tallest tower in Brooklyn.

Instant Insights /

Walker & Dunlop Acquires AKS Capital Partners for Scale in Capital Markets

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