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2026 The ApartmentBuildings.com 100
Dealmakers of the Year
- Arcus Harbor Closes Multiple Multifamily and Retail Financing Transactions
- Ariel Affordable Housing Team Closes $3.65 Billion in NYC Deals
- Berkadia’s Ernest Katai Fuels Triple-Digit Production Growth
- Colliers’ Will Mathews Closes $2.5 Billion in Sales Over the Past Year
- Connor Kerns with Matthews Boosts Multifamily Momentum Throughout the Southeast
- Eric Chen with CBRE Closes $6.5 Billion in Multifamily Sales and Financing
- Greysteel Mid-Atlantic Team Drives Multifamily Activity Across D.C. Region
- HKS Real Estate Advisors Surpasses $30 Billion in Transactions Since 2011
- Jamie May Leads JBM to $20 Billion+ in Multifamily Sales
- Lument’s Vic Clark Originates Over $13 Billion in Real Estate Loans
- Mark Goodman Oversees a $5-Billion Multifamily Brokerage and Market-Intelligence Platform
- Michael Reyes, with Opportunity Home, Spearheads Affordable Housing Transformations in San Antonio
- Newmark’s Joseph Smolen and Geoff Boler Advise on Over $135 Billion in Multifamily Deals
- Noah Birk and Aaron Sklar with Kiser Group Oversee $1 Billion-Plus Chicago Multifamily Brokerage
- Otto Ozen with the Mogharebi Group Oversees $3.5 Billion in California Multifamily Sales
- Cushman ＆ Wakefield’s Pat Knowlton Delivers Results Across Colorado’s Multifamily Market
- THG Multifamily Advisors Founders Generate $12 Billion in Deals
- Walker ＆ Dunlop’s Mo Beler and Jonathan Paine Advise on $40 Billion in Transactions
- GREA Partners Brown and Wellar Close $9 Billion in Multifamily Deals
- Drew Fletcher Brings Owner, Operator and Capital Markets Expertise to Greystone
- Simon/Anderson Multifamily Team Covers Washington State at Kidder Mathews
Berkadia’s Ernest Katai Fuels Triple-Digit Production Growth
Ernest Katai is executive vice president and head of production at Berkadia, where he oversees more than 380 mortgage bankers and investment sales advisors. A nearly 30-year veteran of Berkadia and its predecessor companies, Katai has led the company’s production platform since 2014.
Under his leadership, Berkadia’s mortgage banking business has grown by 172%, while investment sales have expanded by 306%. In 2024 and 2025, the company originated more than $61 billion in loans and completed more than $29 billion in investment sales. Katai previously led Berkadia’s Detroit office, which became Michigan’s top-producing office and now generates approximately $2 billion annually in combined mortgage banking and investment sales volume.
Katai earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from the University of Detroit, and is active with the Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Since late 2025, Katai has hosted Inside the Deal, a Berkadia podcast covering commercial real estate transactions and industry trends.
These are some of the reasons why Ernie Katai was selected to receive ApartmentBuildings.com’s AB 100 Dealmaker of the Year Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate creativity, skill and success in the multifamily industry.