Walker & Dunlop (WD) grew its loan origination volume 18% in 2013.
The commercial lender, which is heavily involved in multifamily, managed this feat at a time when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac started pulling back from multifamily.
Despite their slowing presence, the Bethesda, Md.-based lender saw its origination volume expand to $8.4 billion in 2013.
In just the fourth quarter, originations reached $2.3 billion. Meanwhile, Walker & Dunlop's servicing portfolio grew 11% year-over-year, culminating in a total portfolio valued at $38.9 billion by the end of 2013.
"The 18% year-on-year increase in origination volume represents our fifth consecutive year of origination volume growth, for a compound annual growth rate of 33%," said Willy Walker, Walker & Dunlop's Chairman and CEO.
"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac origination volumes were capped in 2013, and Walker & Dunlop's GSE originations were down 10.8% year-on-year, in line with the cap. HUD volumes, in a very challenging year from a political standpoint, grew extremely well at 33%. And our diversification strategy to grow capital markets and proprietary capital originations made fantastic progress, growing 117% and 449%, respectively," he explained.
The company’s CEO considers Walker & Dunlop's origination growth notable since it happened at a time when enterprise loans represented only 53% of Walker's total originations, down from 71% in 2012.
