Credit Executive,
JP Morgan Real Estate Banking, Downtown Chicago
Mike also completed an MBA at DePaul University in 2003.
He is pictured in his Chicago office.
Area of Finance specialization: Real Estate Management
Hometown: Palatine, Illinois
FIL 360 Real Estate Investment and Financing. I knew from taking this course that I wanted to work in real estate finance. I still make use of some of the fundamental real estate analysis tools we studied, and the paper I wrote on real estate investment trusts was my first step toward working with the REIT industry.
I met my wife at ISU!!
We primarily lend to large, publicly traded REITs and home builders, with over $10 billion in commitments to approximately 150 clients. As a corporate banker I originate, analyze, and execute revolving lines of credit, project term loans, and corporate finance transactions. One of my main responsibilities is to work directly with companies' CFOs in structuring terms and financial covenants for loans. Another is to quarterback our internal credit analysis process: working with analysts in preparing credit approval packages and presenting the packages to senior credit officers. Each loan requires my approval, as well as the credit officer's. My group also works with JPMorgan Chase's syndications department to syndicate these loans to other banks, so we can spread the risk. In these activities I use what I learned in ISU's Finance program in a variety of ways, ranging from basic financial ratio analysis to negotiation and people skills.
I think very highly of the ISU Finance program, and feel that it helped jump-start my career. The course work does a great job of laying out what you will see in the real world, with a balance of attention to technical and soft skills. I also got my first networking experiences dealing with faculty and other students at ISU. One reason why I landed a great job when I graduated was an unpaid summer internship at the old First National Bank of Chicago, which I learned about through a professor. That internship got my foot in the door. As with anything in life, if you work hard in the program you can reach your goals.
