National CRE News In Your Inbox.
Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.
Lawyers in Real Estate 2020: Greystone’s Lisa Schwartz
Lisa Schwartz has served as General Counsel at Greystone, a private national commercial real estate finance firm, for over 20 years. During that time, she has led many milestones for the growth of the company, including numerous acquisitions and business launches, contributing to the firm’s leadership position in multifamily and healthcare finance.
Given her long tenure with Greystone and its unique business capabilities as a diverse real estate owner, manager, investment advisor, and finance firm, Schwartz’s role transcends traditional general counsel duties. She has shepherded the creation and board management of a novel non-profit, Harmony Housing, which acquires, maintains and preserves affordable housing around the U.S.
Since its creation in 2014, Harmony Housing has built a portfolio of more than 100 individual properties and 12,473 units, and Schwartz’s team oversees each and every acquisition. The deals span a number of states, each with unique affordable housing regulations, and Lisa ensures her team is up to speed on regional mandates, requirements from capital sources, and risk management.
Once in the Harmony Housing portfolio, the properties are managed by Greystone Property Management, another affiliate business under her umbrella, and Schwartz oversees and handles any potential property issues that may arise.
More recently, Schwartz led, oversaw due diligence, and closed Greystone’s late-December 2020 acquisition of C-III Asset Management, which expanded Greystone’s asset management capabilities into special servicing. The deal’s timeline from inception to close was under 30 days, and it grew Greystone’s loan servicing portfolio 50%, from $40 billion to $60 billion.
It’s for these reasons that we named Lisa Schwartz to our inaugural grouping of Lawyers in Real Estate. These are real estate attorneys who have distinguished themselves in both their practice and the larger community.
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Paul Bubny
