New York People and Company News, Week of Feb. 13, 2026

American Landmark Apartments has expanded its capital markets team with the addition of Andrew Yam as Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Markets, along with Jessica Wichser as Senior Executive Portfolio Manager. Both roles are based in New York and strengthen the firm’s senior leadership team as it continues to deepen its commitment to institutional investors.

Black Bear Capital Partners, a subsidiary which arranges financing on behalf of clients and originates debt for Black Bear Asset Management, announced its national expansion plans for 2026, with the continuing addition of new staff and updated projections. Robert Serra joined in January as a Director in the New York office. He handles business development as well as the sourcing and execution of structured debt and equity transactions across all property types.Serra’s hiring follows two recent additions to the firm. Freddy Johnson joined in October 2025 as a Managing Director in Chicago, focusing on debt and equity placement across asset classes with an emphasis on ground-up and transitional multifamily. Romulus Avram joined in September 2025 as an Executive Director in Basking Ridge, NJ, overseeing client-relationship management, underwriting, and data-driven initiatives.

Claros Mortgage Trust, Inc. announced that Denise Olsen has been appointed to its board of directors effective as of March 2, 2026. Olsen will serve as an independent director and a member of the audit committee. CMTG also announced that Vincent Tese advised CMTG’s board that he will not stand for re-election at the Company’s annual meeting as a result of his decision to retire from the Board at the end of his current term.

Prime X, a title insurance agency backed by RXR and Fidelity National Financial, appointed Toni Carasig-Carlos as underwriting counsel. Based in Prime X’s Uniondale, NY, headquarters, Carasig-Carlos brings more than two decades of legal and industry experience to support the firm’s expanding commercial real estate portfolio in the New York City metro area and nationwide.

Everspan Group, a specialty property and casualty insurance platform and wholly owned subsidiary of Octave Specialty Group, Inc., has made two leadership changes to support its next phase of growth. Effective immediately, Darwin Lucas will become president, succeeding Steve Dresner, and Nicole Crowley has been promoted to general counsel. Lucas has served as chief underwriting and reinsurance officer since 2023, a role he will continue to hold.

J.F. Lehman & Company, a leading alternative asset manager focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, government, maritime, environmental and infrastructure sectors, announced several organizational updates, including the promotion of Michael S. Friedman, William J. Hanenberg and David F. Thomas to Partner, Private Equity. Additional promotions on the Investment Team include R. Benjamin Hatcher and Kevin Vallès to Managing Director, and Alec M. Schmidt to Principal. Additional promotions included Isabel Grabel to Vice President, Marketing & Investor Relations, Sarah Cabrera to Vice President, Controller, and Mokhtar Akhtari to Fund Controller. The firm has also added Emilie Q. Ascione as an Associate on the Investment Team as well as Mila A. Schuster on the Administrative Team.

DIGroup Architecture (DIG) associate principal Kelli Glasgow has been named 2026 President of the AIA Newark & Suburban Architects (AIANS), representing more than 600 members and the largest local AIA segment in New Jersey. In addition to AIA-NJ, AIANS is a chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Apex Commercial Exchange (ACE), a technology-enabled commercial real estate marketplace, formed a strategic syndication partnership with Buildout, the AI-powered, end-to-end commercial real estate brokerage platform. The integration expands marketing distribution for commercial property listings on the ACE platform. The partnership provides brokers with an optional syndication channel that enhances listing visibility among qualified commercial real estate buyers through ACE’s competitive marketplace. Brokers retain full control over when and how listings are distributed, while benefiting from expanded exposure across ACE’s buyer network, the company said.

Cerity Partners, a leading independent investment and wealth management firm in the US, announced today that it is merging with Verus Investments, a leading institutional investment consulting and advisory firm that provides services to clients with approximately $1.2 trillion in assets. The merger brings together two firms with aligned values under the Cerity Partners brand.

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