Robert M. Karner

Robert Karner has 40 plus years of acquired skills, relationships and experiences in commercial real estate finance.  Professional with extensive experience in CMBS and CRE CLO portfolio management, CMBS syndication & trading, CRE financing for bridge & permanent lenders plus investing in CRE debt and equity funds. 

Started originating commercial mortgages for Principal Financial Group and transitioned into CMBS portfolio management at Allstate Investments.  Leveraged that role to join Morgan Stanley as CMBS Product Specialists and grew into co-head of the CMBS syndication desk.  Post GFC helped pitch and successfully list a publicly traded commercial mortgage REIT, CreXus (NYSE: CXS).  CXS was acquired by parent company Annaly (NYSE: NLY) in 2013 for just shy of $1Bn.  Fast forward to 2021 and NLY executes strategy to refocus on core agency and non-agency residential mortgages resulting in the sale of the commercial mortgage and CRE platform to Slate Asset Management.  Slate’s acquisition provided an opportunity to join and grow with Kuvare Asset Management, resulting in its sale to Blue Owl in 2024.  

Past board member for Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC).  Served CREFC as conference co-chair plus moderator and presenter for multiple educational sessions on CMBS bond structuring and pricing.  Bob has a BBA in Finance and an MS in Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin and currently serves on the Board of the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin