Lanie Wasserman has over 15 years of commercial real estate and construction lending experience and is passionate about working with the development community to bring their affordable housing developments to fruition. She has spent most of her career in the CDFI industry, serving as Director of Lending for Chicago-based IFF, the largest CDFI in the Midwest. She then served as SVP/Senior Lender for a Tampa-based CDFI where she worked in partnership with the banking community to deploy millions of dollars into affordable housing developments across the State of Florida. Most recently, Lanie served as VP of Originations at First Housing, a HUD multifamily lender and lead underwriter of 4% and 9% LIHTC. Lanie has degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Chicago. We asked Lanie what brought her to NeighborWorks Capital:
What keeps you interested in Community Development finance?
The ability to impact people’s lives in a positive way is what keeps me interested in Community Development finance. There is nothing more rewarding than working with a nonprofit or development team to provide a creative financing solution that helps them bring their projects to fruition. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), like NeighborWorks Capital, offer financing solutions that cannot be accessed at a mainstream bank and those sources of capital are often what is necessary to get projects to the finish line that ultimately have the greatest impact on communities.
What is your personal mission? How will your work with NeighborWorks Capital advance that?
My personal mission is to make a difference in underserved communities. That is why I have always been drawn to the CDFI sector. I know how critical it is for families and seniors to have access to quality affordable housing, health care, and other community resources. I am amazed at the vast network of NeighborWorks organizations and their missions and am looking forward to working with them on their capital needs to help them increase affordable housing production and strengthen communities.
What drew you to NeighborWorks Capital?
I have always been impressed by the rigor and commitment to best practices that it takes to be a NeighborWorks organization. There is a lot of self-assessment and continuous improvement to ensure that the organizations are poised to have the greatest impact on the communities they serve. I was particularly drawn to NeighborWorks Capital knowing that I would have the opportunity to work directly with these groups that all have unique business models across the country. I was also very excited by the depth of experience of the NeighborWorks Capital staff and their enthusiasm about the mission.
