Press Release

Carmel, INDIANA (5/17/2017) – PR Mortgage & Investments, together with its parent company Merchants Bank of Indiana partnered with Birge & Held Asset Management, LLC to provide financing for Lakeshore Apartments, a multifamily property located in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Financing of the acquisition of the property was completed with a bridge loan through Merchants Bank of Indiana in September 2016.  In May 2017, permanent financing was provided through an FHA 223(f) loan via PR Mortgage & Investments.  PR Mortgage & Investments is proud to partner with Birge & Held Asset Management, LLC and its affiliates (the borrower) to serve residents in their community.  This acquisition represents the largest closing in company history for PR Mortgage, the largest sale in the City of Indianapolis, and the second largest in the State of Indiana. The property contains 740 residential dwelling units originally built in 1988.  With financing provided by the FHA loan, Lakeshore’s $12.6 million renovation project will include new HardiePlank® siding on all buildings, exterior painting, clubhouse and common area upgrades, roof replacement, new gutters and downspouts, and other grounds improvements.  In all apartment homes, renovations include: installation of new kitchen and bathroom cabinets, countertops, new lighting and hardware, new flooring in apartment common areas, new appliances, and interior painting. “Birge & Held is a valued client of PR Mortgage and we appreciate the opportunity to assist in their growth.  Having made them one of their first loans, PR has been fortunate to help them expand their portfolio to over 5,300 units today.  They are experts in implementing a value-add rehab strategy in conjunction with FHA’s 223(f) program, which allows them to leverage the improvements and lock in historic low interest rates for 35 years.  The seamless process from the time of acquisition with the Merchants Bank loan to closing of the PR Mortgage FHA loan allows them to be efficient with their resources.  Birge & Held also has an incredible asset management team that manages the properties long term after the rehab is complete.  It is a win-win for all parties, especially the residents of each community”, said Michael R. Dury, Executive Vice President and COO of PR Mortgage & Investments. PR Mortgage has had a relationship with Birge & Held principals, J. Taggart Birge and Andrew J. Held, since 2012.  The principals own and operate their multifamily properties through their management company, Birge & Held Asset Management, LLC. “PR Mortgage & Investments continues to prove itself as a consistent and dedicated finance provider, and working with the team on the closing of the loan for Lakeshore Apartments has been an excellent collaborative process,” said Andrew Held, Principal of Birge & Held Asset Management LLC. Both Merchants Bank of Indiana and PR Mortgage & Investments appreciate the opportunity to work with Birge & Held Asset Management, LLC and look forward to providing more service in the future.

(Carmel, IN) – PR Mortgage & Investments, along with our parent company Merchants Bank of Indiana, is proud to announce our selection as one of the Best Places To Work in Indiana for 2017!This is our second consecutive year to be named to the list. The Top 100 Best Places to Work in Indiana is an annual program hosted by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to recognize outstanding companies that foster and promote a positive employee culture which is evident through the company’s appreciation and value shown toward each employee. The top companies in the state were determined through employer reports and comprehensive, anonymous employee surveys. We are honored to be included once again in this year’s recognition and look forward to an awards celebration later this Spring.

Carmel, INDIANA (1/18/2017) – PR Mortgage & Investments (PR) is proud to announce record results for 2016.  The company finished the year with more than $1.17 billion in mortgage originations, the second highest in the company’s 26 year history, 20,931 total housing units, and 152 total loans. The key highlights of these record performance numbers consisted of Affordable Housing Financings at 30% of total volume, the highest in company history.  Loan volume for 221(d)4 financings exceeded $161 million with 1,957 total housing units.  Also, more than $505 million in loans, 43% of total volume, were closed using Merchants Bank of Indiana, the parent company of PR Mortgage & Investments. PR Mortgage’s servicing portfolio volume also hit record performance numbers in 2016 with 944 active loans exceeding $6 billion, the highest in company history. “We at PR Mortgage are very proud of our accomplishments in 2016 and share in our success with our customers and banking partners. Utilizing Merchants Bank of Indiana in conjunction with FHA and the GSE’s have given us a competitive advantage and provides very competitive financing options for our clients. With the continued growth of the bank and competitive GNMA pricing, we expect momentum to continue in 2017,” said Mike Dury, COO of PR Mortgage & Investments. PR Mortgage & Investments is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. PR is an approved FHA Mortgagee and is an approved Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender for HUD.  PR Mortgage is also a Rural Housing Service (RHS) approved lender for the Section 538 program.  The company is a Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) Issuer of Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS).  These agencies offer secondary market programs that provide a full range of loan structures for multifamily rental projects and health care facilities. Through these programs, PR Mortgage & Investments can provide acquisition, refinance, rehabilitation, and new construction loans.  These programs offer competitive long-term, fixed-rate loans that meet the needs of our clients.  Through its parent company (Merchants Bank of Indiana), PR Mortgage offers floating and fixed rate interim construction and acquisition/rehab loans.

HUD ISSUES NOTICE H 2016-15:  PROCESSING GUIDE FOR PREVIOUS PARTICIPATION REVIEWS OF PROSPECTIVE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING AND HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS' PARTICIPANTS - EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 14, 2016 Issued on October 20, 2016, the guide defines Controlling Participants for previous participation review, new flag approval, and rejection guidance and flag protocols in federal programs of certain participants seeking to take part in multifamily housing and health programs administered by HUD’s Office of Housing.  The guide aids in clarifying and simplifying the process by which HUD reviews previous participation of participants that have decision making authority over their projects as one component of HUD’s responsibility to access financial and operational risk to projects in these programs. To download a summary of the Processing Guide changes, click here. To download a copy of the full Processing Guide, click here. PR Processing Staff is up-to-date on the changes that will affect your 2530 submissions.  Look for further instructions when loan documents are requested by your Loan Processor.

We are pleased to announce that PR Mortgage's own Michelle Small has earned HUD’s Deputy Chief Underwriter designation!  This is a tremendous accomplishment and one that takes years of hard work and dedication.  Michelle has been with PR Mortgage for 11 years, starting as a Commercial Loan Processor and then transitioning to Underwriting in 2013.  In her experience as an underwriter, she has underwritten all types of loans from acquisition and refinance transactions, to substantial rehab and new construction.  She has underwritten loans for the following programs; MAP 223(f) & 221(d)4; LEAN 232; RD 538 & 515. MICHELLE SMALLVICE PRESIDENT, DEPUTY CHIEF UNDERWRITER AND COMPLIANCE OFFICERCarmel, Indiana Michelle's experience with complex LIHTC transactions sets her apart as she has been the underwriter of record for commitments in all 5 regions of the new HUD reorganization structure. She has been an invaluable resource for our growing underwriting staff and has been pivotal in developing our forthcoming Small Balance Risk Share program underwriting standards. THANK YOU MICHELLE AND CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to PR Mortgage & Investments and the Evansville Housing Authority for closing two RAD projects; the first projects successfully closed in the state of Indiana utilizing RAD alongside the FHA 221(d)4 program.  RAD, which stands for Rental Assistance Demonstration, allows PHAs (Public Housing Authority) and owners of HUD-assisted housing to preserve and improve affordable housing units that could be subject to vouchers and demolition.  These types of deals provide a greater funding certainty for potential lenders and increase the operational flexibility for PHAs and owners to service their communities.  PR Mortgage & Investments is proud to assist the Evansville Housing Authority in their quest to provide affordable housing and serve residents in their community. Located in Evansville, Indiana, the subject properties contain over 700 units which provide public housing for seniors.  Originally built between 1965 and 1971, the properties will be substantially rehabilitated using the financing provided by PR Mortgage & Investments. The complete rehab will include installation of geo-thermal HVAC systems, replacement of sanitary sewer risers, new signage, repairs to exterior and interior buildings, installation of new fire alarm systems as well as other needed maintenance. The properties will be modernized and energy efficient.  The cost associated with the combined rehab was approximately $18 million.  With these improvements, the properties will be able to provide affordable housing for years to come.

Congratulations to PR Mortgage's own John Petrie for being named an FHA Chief Underwriter!  This designation is the highest of its kind in the FHA Multifamily industry and John is one of the first to be named in the state of Indiana.  His experience with PR Mortgage dates back 17 years as the company’s first underwriter on staff. Over the years, he has reviewed and approved more than $1.8 billion in HUD loans without any defaults.  We are very proud of his track record and the track record of the company.  In addition to his current position as head underwriter, this important designation will allow John to: Create and oversee MAP Lender’s training and development programs for underwriting personnel Approve MAP underwriters Assure MAP Lender’s compliance with statutory, regulatory, and programmatic underwriting process, requirements, and standards Establish and oversee the MAP Lender’s QC Process CONGRATULATIONS JOHN ON THIS FANTASTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT!

(Carmel, IN) - PR Mortgage & Investments, along with our parent company Merchants Bank of Indiana, are proud to announce our selection as one of the Best Places To Work in Indiana for 2016!The Best Places to Work in Indiana is an annual program hosted by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to recognize outstanding companies that foster and promote a positive employee culture which is evident through the company’s appreciation and value shown toward each employee. The top companies in the state were determined through employer reports and comprehensive, anonymous employee surveys. According to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce website, this year’s competition experienced a “record-breaking number of applicants”. We are honored to be included in this year's recognition and look forward to an awards celebration later this Spring.

HUD has published its revised Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guide, which is intended to cut the time required to approve loan applications and to assure consistent application of program requirements and credit standards across all HUD processing offices. To read the details of the published revisions, click here.  If you have any questions on how these changes affect your loan, please contact your loan originator at 317-569-7420 or at originations@prmic.com.

January 28, 2016 - The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced a multifamily insurance rate reduction designed to encourage capital financing of affordable and energy-efficient apartments. Lower rates are expected to stimulate production and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing and help increase the amount of quality rental housing across the country. The press release from HUD Secretary Castro states, "The rate reductions will take effect on April 1, 2016, and will directly impact FHA’s Multifamily Housing Programs and properties housing low- and moderate-income families and/or developments installing energy-efficient systems or building within federal energy guidelines." This announcement is a positive change for affordable housing programs. To read the press release announcement and details on FHA's new Multifamily Insurance Rates, click here.  If you have any questions, please contact one our loan originators at 317-569-7420 or at originations@prmic.com.