The Chicago Chapter of The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) hosted its Speaker Series luncheon recently, and the topic was the capital markets. Commercial banking industry experts Zena Diggs, Midwest market executive at Bank of America; Ursula Moncau, president of Schaumburg Bank & Trust Company; and Alec Bliss, SVP of Associated Bank, gathered to discuss the current state of the capital markets along with the future of commercial loans, interest rates and their impact on CRE.

The discussion was moderated by Peter Billmeyer, co-founder and CEO of Bespoke CRE and SIOR Chicago Chapter President. The event brought together more than 60 SIOR members and guests.

Billmeyer began the discussion by asking about interest rates— specifically, where things stand and where things are headed. All panelists agreed that interest rates are going to continue to rise in the coming year. There are a few things to be cautious of, panelists noted, but loan velocity is still there and there are opportunities ahead.

Pictured, from left: Zena Diggs, Bank of America; Ursula Moncau, Schaumburg Bank & Trust Company, NA, a Wintrust Bank; Alec Bliss, Associated Bank; Peter Billmeyer, SIOR, Chicago Chapter SIOR.