Strategic Plan

Our Mission: To promote the ongoing strength, liquidity and viability of commercial real estate capital market finance worldwide.

Our Core Values

Integrity: Commitment to ethical and honest interaction and communication

Responsiveness: A member-focused culture of collaboration, collegiality, open and inclusive dialogue, consensus building and respect for diverse views in the pursuit of the common good

Leadership: Dedication to insightful forward thinking that encourages vision, innovation and continuous professional growth

In support of its mission and core values, Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe has identified five key goals and initiatives to support the Association in reaching those goals.

Goal: The public, commercial real estate practitioners and media will recognise Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe as the global resource for industry information and advocacy for commercial real estate capital market finance.  

Initiatives:

• Bolster our public relations efforts.
• Create a complete body of knowledge about commercial real estate capital market finance worldwide, and make it accessible to anyone who needs it. 
• Solicit new members in all countries with active commercial real estate capital markets, across all lending and securitization functions.
• Continue to promote ongoing dialogue among a diverse membership having different priorities and views on industry issues and initiatives.
• Continue to strive for excellence in our conferences to make them meaningful, educational and timely for all of Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe’s constituencies. 

Goal: Legislators and regulatory agencies worldwide will recognize Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe as the leading expert and voice of commercial real estate capital market finance.

Initiatives:

• Create initiatives to mitigate accounting, tax and regulatory constraints on our members’ businesses worldwide.
• Find alignments and bolster strategic alliances with other well known real estate and capital market-focused PACs.
• Disseminate the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe market fact sheet to our members’ PACs and to their government relations personnel, and leverage the expertise and relationships of these resources.
• Increase number of policy makers whom we engage and increase broader member participation in meetings with these policy makers.
• Establish a dialogue with non-US regulatory bodies and those that impact policy decisions (e.g., CESR and ARES) to enable the sharing of issues and concerns.
• Create a CRE Finance Council global regulatory staff to monitor the regulatory environment in countries where our members are active.
• Identify large institutional buyers of CMBS and CDO securities that have widely recognizable names and solicit their membership (e.g., major pension funds). 
• Create awareness among our members about the importance of contributing to the CRE Finance Counil PAC to increase the number of contributors.
• As appropriate, encourage members to host CRE Finance Counil PAC fundraisers. 

Goal: Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe will continue to develop and export/import industry best practices to promote market efficiency, investor confidence, transparency and liquidity worldwide.

Initiatives:

• Develop task forces in CRE Finance Council targeted regions to identify additional areas where best practices should be developed and/or exported/imported.
• Create issuer, servicer and investor interest groups in each targeted region to develop and share best practices and to create a mechanism to communicate best practices broadly across CRE Finance Council.
• Provide CRE Finance Council resources (money and staff) in targeted regions to support the development of standards.
• Adapt the best practices (IRP, Borrower Guide, CMBS 101, Annex A) commensurate with local business practices and regulations in other countries.
• Encourage CRe Finance Council issuer and servicer members worldwide to adopt the IRP and other best practices.
• Educate investors, rating agencies and other market participants worldwide on the benefits of standardized reporting.
• Request all member companies to make specialists available to serve on best practices committees and task forces.

Goal: CRE Finance Council will foster improved flexibility, service and product options so that more borrowers worldwide will be attracted to commercial real estate capital market finance. 

Initiatives:

• Develop initiatives based on the feedback from the Borrower Survey conducted by Commercial Real Estate Finance Council/MBA. 
• Continue to solicit feedback from borrowers.
• Update Borrower Guide to CMBS as required. 
• Encourage borrower participation in CRE Finance Council conferences worldwide.
• Provide educational offerings and other appropriate services specifically focused on borrowers’ needs and increase cooperation with other borrower-focused associations. 

Goal: CRE Finance Council Europe will be the preferred global provider of education and information for commercial real estate capital market finance.   

Initiatives:

• Provide educational programs that are current, timely and responsive to the changing market, and serve all constituencies.
• Raise profile and awareness of accomplishments of committees, forums and interest groups. 
• Establish a Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe Research Committee to determine the resources and competencies required to enhance Commercial Real Estate Finance Council’s research capacity.
• Assess Commercial Real Estate Finance’s inventory of data and potential access to relevant data.  Develop mechanisms for gathering data, analyzing information, preparing reports and disseminating research.
• Adapt and export/import current educational programs worldwide. 
• Create new educational offerings domestically that are dedicated to international issues.  Create more in-depth international conferences that encourage and build an international exchange of information and resources.