NEW YORK– The CRE Finance Council (CREFC) has announced the appointment of Leland F. Bunch III, Managing Director at Bank of America, as the new Chair of its Executive Committee and Board of Governors for the 2025–2026 term. The announcement was made at CREFC’s Annual Conference held this week in New York City.
Bunch, a 25-year veteran of the commercial real estate finance industry and a committed CREFC member for two decades, succeeds Bob Foley, Partner at TPG Real Estate and Chief Financial Officer of TPG RE Finance Trust, Inc.
In his role at Bank of America, Bunch serves as Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets and Banking for the US RESF group. Over his 17-year tenure at the bank, he has overseen CMBS structuring, securitization, large loan execution, and warehouse finance—spearheading more than $30 billion in CMBS 2.0/3.0 originations. He also serves as the bank’s GSE relationship manager. Prior to Bank of America, Bunch held senior roles at UBS as Head of European CMBS and began his career at JPMorgan, working in both New York and London.
“CREFC is an important voice for a wide range of members it serves—lenders, issuers, loan servicers, investors, rating agencies, and other commercial real estate market participants—in a $6 trillion industry that plays a key role in the nation’s economy,” said Bunch. “I look forward to continuing the progress and vision laid out by Bob Foley and Lisa Pendergast, and to advancing the council’s mission of supporting a transparent, liquid, and efficient commercial real estate finance market.”
Lisa Pendergast, President and CEO of CREFC, welcomed Bunch’s appointment and acknowledged Foley’s contributions:
“On behalf of CREFC, I’d like to congratulate Leland Bunch on being selected to lead our Executive Committee and Chair the Board of Governors. His extensive industry experience and deep commitment to CREFC will be invaluable. I also want to express our deepest thanks to Bob Foley for his leadership, effort, and dedication over the past year—we are thrilled he will continue to serve as Immediate Past Chair.”
2025–2026 CREFC Executive Committee Members:
Chair: Leland F. Bunch III (Bank of America)
Chair-Elect: Lissette Rivera-Pauley (Regions Financial Corp.)
Immediate Past Chair: Bob Foley (TPG Real Estate / TPG RE Finance Trust, Inc.)
Vice Chair: Elaine McKay (Ares Management LLC)
Secretary: Kim Diamond (New York University)
Treasurer: Adam Behlman (Starwood Property Trust)
Long Range Planning & Investment Committee Chair: Daniel Olsen (KeyBank Real Estate Capital)
Membership Chair: Toby Cobb (3650 Capital)
Policy Committee Chair: Rick Jones (Jackstay Ventures)
Program Committee Chair: Mary Jane Potthoff (Morningstar DBRS)
New Members of the CREFC Board of Governors:
Nitin Bhasin (KBRA)
Josh Cromer (Rialto Capital Advisors)
Marshall Glick (AllianceBernstein)
David Harrison (Midland Loan Services)
Adam Hayden (NY Life Real Estate Investors)
Spencer Kagan (Barclays)
Sean Ryan (JLL)
AJ Sfarra (Wells Fargo)
Lindsey Wright (KKR)
“We are excited to welcome these new leaders to the Executive Committee and Board of Governors,” added Pendergast. “Their diverse insights and industry expertise will be critical as we navigate key challenges and opportunities in commercial real estate finance.”
CREFC represents the commercial and multifamily real estate finance industry and serves as a vital forum for dialogue, education, and policy advocacy.
