Featherstone brings over 19 years of finance experience, enhancing the firm’s UK and European capital markets expertise and furthering Newmark’s talent expansion and unification strategy
NEW YORK and LONDON, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK) (“Newmark”), a leading commercial real estate advisor and service provider to large institutional investors, global corporations, and other owners and occupiers, has hired Matthew Featherstone as Head of Debt & Structured Finance for Newmark in the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe. Featherstone will work collaboratively with Newmark’s UK & EMEA Capital Markets teams, including Newmark’s Head of London Office Markets Tony Gibbon, Newmark’s President for the UK Michael Lehrman, and John Rodgers, Head of the UK Capital Markets and Corporate Finance teams for Gerald Eve, a Newmark company. In addition, Featherstone will work closely with Charlie Foster who was recently hired by Newmark affiliate Cantor Fitzgerald Europe to head up the Real Estate Investment Banking group, bolstering Newmark’s debt and equity capital markets services in the UK and Europe.
Image Courtesy of Newmark: Matthew Featherstone
Based in London at Newmark’s 84 Grosvenor Street office, Featherstone joins Newmark from CBRE, where he served as Executive Director, Debt & Structured Finance, Capital Advisors. With nearly 20 years of finance experience spanning various real estate subsectors, including heading HSBC’s Global Banking UK Real Estate division, Featherstone has executed over $75 billion of financing and loan origination transactions. Featherstone possesses a strong client base and a successful track record in origination, with expertise in advisory, capital markets, balance sheet funding and risk management solutions, and has executed financing transactions ranging from £50 million to £1 billion+. Featherstone graduated from the University of Durham with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in business and finance and is a CFA Charterholder. His extensive knowledge and expertise in debt origination for private and public clients will play a significant role in advancing Newmark’s end-to-end capital markets services across the UK and Europe.
“Matthew’s and Charlie’s vast experience across the UK and European markets is integral to further enhancing our global capital markets strategy, fostering cross-collaboration and enriching our service offerings,” stated Lehrman. “Their expertise and complementary skill sets create a unique dynamic to drive greater connectivity, deal flow and client value.”
With 25 years of experience, Foster has a comprehensive background in real estate and corporate finance, with expertise extending across an array of sectors and leadership roles in international investment banking, capital markets, M&A and ECM and is well-versed in establishing, leading and managing a multi-disciplinary team that achieves significant transaction value market share. Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, Foster served as the Managing Director and Head of Real Estate, Europe at RBC Capital Markets, where he originated and executed M&A, ECM, private capital and DCM transactions directly, alongside product specialists and regional teams (Europe, US, Canada and Australia). In 2022, he ranked fourth in transaction value market share league table. Foster holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Building out a platform of world-class professionals, Newmark’s unique position in capital markets continues to earn the firm significant assignments over the past year, including representing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as the exclusive financial advisor in the largest loan sale in U.S. history, selling Signature Bank’s $60 billion loan portfolio1. Additionally, Newmark served as the Co-Lead Financial Advisor to Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. on its sale of Simply Self Storage to Public Storage for $2.2 billion and raised $500 million from an institutional investor on behalf of Envision Cold to capitalize a new cold storage operating and development company and acquire cold storage operations and assets to build its network of facilities across North America. As loan advisory and other real estate investment banking services gain importance, Newmark is well-positioned to serve clients at the highest caliber.
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About Newmark Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK), together with its subsidiaries (“Newmark”), is a world leader in commercial real estate, seamlessly powering every phase of the property life cycle. Newmark’s comprehensive suite of services and products is uniquely tailored to each client, from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and startups to blue-chip companies. Combining the platform’s global reach with market intelligence in both established and emerging property markets, Newmark provides superior service to clients across the industry spectrum. For the year ending December 31, 2022, Newmark generated revenues of approximately $2.7 billion. As of September 30, 2023, Newmark’s company-owned offices, together with its business partners, operate from approximately 170 offices with 7,400 professionals around the world. To learn more, visit nmrk.com or follow @newmark.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements about Newmark Statements in this document regarding Newmark that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include statements about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, results, financial position, liquidity and outlook, which may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual impact may differ, possibly materially, from what is currently expected. Except as required by law, Newmark undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Newmark’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information set forth in these filings and any updates to such risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information contained in subsequent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K.
¹ The book value of the overall loan portfolio was approximately $60 billion when Newmark was retained as an advisor by the FDIC and approximately $53 billion when the Company began marketing the loans. For more information, please see various announcements, press releases, and other information on the FDIC website, including “FDIC Announces Upcoming Sale of the Loan Portfolio from the Former Signature Bank, New York, New York“, “SIGF-23 Sale Announcement $18.5 Billion All Cash Loan Sale“, “SIGCRE-23 Sale Announcement $33.22 Billion Commercial Real Estate Loan Portfolio“, “FDIC Signature Bank Receivership Sells 20 Percent Equity Interest in Entity Holding $9 Billion Rent-Stabilized / Rent-Controlled Multifamily Loans“, “FDIC Signature Bridge Bank Receivership Sells Five Percent Equity Interest in Entities Holding $5.8 Billion of Rent-Stabilized / Rent-Controlled Multifamily Loans“, and “FDIC Signature Bridge Bank Receivership Sells 20 Percent Equity Interest in Entity Holding $16.8 Billion of Commercial Real Estate Loans“.
Mayer Brown is a proud sponsor of Proximo Congress 2026. This senior meeting of the US energy, infrastructure, and digital infrastructure finance community is shaped around the questions credit and investment committees are actually asking in 2026: how asset classes are converging, how risk is being priced in a recalibrated policy and geopolitical environment, and how public and private capital are being structured together to deliver projects at scale.
Mayer Brown has also been recognized for three separate awards which will be presented during the event. These awards include:
Proximo North America Transport Deal of the Year 2025 – SR 400 Peach Partners
Proximo North America Rail Deal of the Year 2025 – Brightline West
Proximo North America LNG Deal of the Year 2025 – Port Arthur LNG 2
If you have ever taken out a mortgage, you’ll know there are a lot of requirements to meet. You may need to put down a certain amount and have a debt-to-income ratio below a certain threshold. You may also run into limits on how much you can borrow or what sources of income the lender will count.
These rules do not apply to all mortgages — just to conforming mortgages, which is what the majority of borrowers take out. However, mortgage lenders are increasingly offering what are known as nonconforming loans, or mortgages that do not “comply with every one of the strict standards put in place after the housing crisis,” said The Wall Street Journal. While “still a small portion,” the “share of mortgages using alternative lending practices” has “doubled in size over the past three years.”
What are nonconforming loans?
A nonconforming mortgage is a “type of home loan that doesn’t meet some or all of the guidelines that make them eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” said Bankrate. These are the government-sponsored entities that “support much of the secondary mortgage market in the U.S.,” meaning they often purchase resold mortgages.
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have “federal rules that limit the purchase of loans deemed relatively risk-free,” said Investopedia. Loans that meet these guidelines are conforming loans; loans that do not are nonconforming. To be a conforming loan, a mortgage must fall under a certain loan amount, and the borrower must meet specific criteria when it comes to their credit score, debt-to-income ratio and loan-to-value ratio.
Effectively, any home loan that does not align with these stipulations is considered nonconforming. Examples include jumbo loans, government-backed loans, bridge loans and interest-only loans.
Why do people get them?
There are a wide range of reasons people may opt for a nonconforming mortgage. For one, “you may have no choice but to choose a nonconforming jumbo loan if you want to buy an expensive property,” said Rocket Mortgage. These loans can also provide more flexibility when it comes to the type of property you purchase, your credit score and your down payment amount.
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Nonconforming loans additionally “offer an opportunity for home buyers who might not otherwise qualify for traditional loans because they are self-employed or hold their wealth in assets such as real estate,” said the Journal.
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What are the drawbacks?
For starters, there are fewer lenders offering them “since they pose a higher risk to the bank or mortgage lender,” said Yahoo Finance. That said, availability can vary depending on the specific type, as “some nonconforming loans (like FHA mortgages) are common, while others (like USDA loans) can be harder to find.”
Nonconforming loans also “generally carry a higher interest rate for the borrower,” said the Journal, given the increased risk to the lender. Still, this can vary by loan type. For instance, “FHA, VA and USDA loans usually have lower interest rates,” while “less common nonconforming loans, such as bridge loans, often have higher interest rates,” said Yahoo Finance. There is also the possibility that a nonconforming loan “could have an unusual repayment schedule or other features that make it harder to repay,” said Bankrate.
What U.S. consumers ask of their credit cards has changed. For financially stressed households, it has little to do with rewards.
As more households turn to credit cards to manage liquidity and cover everyday expenses, a new set of practical concerns is driving card behavior: Can the card help avoid a missed payment? Can it make balances easier to track? Can it provide enough visibility into available credit and upcoming obligations to help manage an uncertain month?
Those concerns are beginning to reorder what consumers value most in their credit card relationships.
That evidence is clear in “Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice,” a PYMNTS Intelligence and Elan Credit Card report examining how consumers use mobile apps to manage spending, payments and engagement across their credit card portfolios. The report found 30% of consumers primarily use credit cards to build credit or extend purchasing power, while another 22% primarily use cards for cash flow management, together outweighing rewards-based usage.
The divide is more pronounced among financially stressed households. Among consumers living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay bills, 40% cited credit dependence as their primary reason for using credit cards. Just 11% pointed to rewards.
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For a growing share of consumers, credit cards are functioning less like discretionary spending products and more like liquidity management tools.
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What Matters Most
That evolution is also changing which app features matter most.
Among cash flow-focused consumers, 31% said scheduling payments or autopay encouraged them to spend more on a card, while 27% cited alerts and reminders. Credit-motivated consumers showed similarly high engagement with tools tied to available credit visibility and payment timing.
Rewards still influence spending behavior, particularly among financially stable households. Half of consumers who prioritize rewards said tracking or redeeming rewards through a mobile app encouraged them to spend more on the card.
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But the report suggests that financial stress changes the hierarchy of engagement. As household budgets tighten, rewards become less central than predictability, visibility and control.
That shift helps explain why mobile apps increasingly influence which cards become top of wallet.
Among credit-dependent consumers, 77% said the quality of a credit card app influences which card they use most often. Credit-dependent consumers also reported the highest app adoption levels, with 77% using their primary card’s app regularly or occasionally.
The competition, in other words, is no longer simply about card acquisition. It is about becoming the card consumers rely on to navigate everyday financial management.
Digital Experience Becomes a Financial Retention Tool
The report also suggests that digital experience increasingly shapes retention risk.
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Nearly 1 in 4 cardholders said a poor app or digital experience contributed to reduced card use. Among Gen Z consumers, that figure climbed to 45%.
At the same time, 7 in 10 cardholders said app quality influences which card becomes their primary card, underscoring how mobile interfaces are becoming embedded directly into consumer payment behavior.
For issuers, the implications extend beyond app design.
Consumers living paycheck to paycheck hold nearly as many credit cards as financially stable households, meaning financially stressed consumers are not disengaging from credit entirely. Instead, they are becoming more selective about which cards feel easiest to manage and most useful during periods of financial pressure.
Rewards and promotional offers still matter, particularly among affluent and financially stable consumers. But for a growing segment of households, the most valuable card may be the one that reduces uncertainty around balances, payment timing and available liquidity.
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In a crowded multi-card market, financial visibility itself is becoming part of the product.
