UNIONDALE, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR), a real estate investment trust and national direct lender specializing in loan origination and servicing for multifamily, single-family rental (SFR) portfolios, seniors housing, healthcare, and other diverse commercial real estate assets, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Agency Lending.

Mr. Lee will oversee and lead Arbor's agency lending platform, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA products. He will manage all originations, credit, underwriting, capital markets and operational components that support Arbor's agency platforms. Mr. Lee will serve as a member of Arbor's executive committee, helping to strengthen and grow Arbor's loan production, new business volume and servicing platform.

"Jeff comes to Arbor with thirty years of experience in multifamily real estate finance and will provide technology based innovation across our lending and servicing platforms," said Ivan Kaufman, Chairman, CEO and President of Arbor Realty Trust. "His approach to credit, data and analytics will enhance our agency lending and servicing businesses, which will benefit the services we provide to our borrowers. We are looking forward to the positive impact Jeff will have on our business."

Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Lee served as President of NewPoint Real Estate ("NewPoint"), a real estate financing platform. NewPoint focuses on originating, financing and servicing loans across a broad spectrum of real estate asset classes, including multifamily, affordable and workforce housing, seniors housing and healthcare and build to rent. Prior to NewPoint, Mr. Lee served as Executive Vice President for Capital One where he oversaw multifamily lending. Mr. Lee joined Capital One's executive team following the company's acquisition of Beech Street Capital ("Beech Street"), which Mr. Lee co-founded in 2009 and where Mr. Lee oversaw Beech Street's multifamily lending platform. Prior to Beech Street, Mr. Lee held various roles at Fannie Mae during a nearly decade long tenure with the agency.

Mr. Lee holds a Bachelor's of Science in Business/Managerial Economics from the University of Maryland.

About Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR) is a nationwide real estate investment trust and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for multifamily, single-family rental (SFR) portfolios, and other diverse commercial real estate assets. Headquartered in New York, Arbor manages a multibillion-dollar servicing portfolio, specializing in government-sponsored enterprise products. Arbor is a leading Fannie Mae DUS® lender and Freddie Mac Optigo® Seller/Servicer, and an approved FHA Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender. Arbor's product platform also includes bridge, CMBS, mezzanine and preferred equity loans. Rated by Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings, Arbor is committed to building on its reputation for service, quality and customized solutions with an unparalleled dedication to providing our clients excellence over the entire life of a loan.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain items in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Arbor and the Issuer can give no assurance that their expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Arbor's and the Issuer's expectations include, but are not limited to, changes in economic conditions generally, and the real estate markets specifically, continued ability to source new investments, changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, and other risks detailed in Arbor's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and its other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Arbor and the Issuer expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Arbor's or the Issuer's expectations with regard thereto or change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Contact:

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

Investor Relations

516-506-4200

InvestorRelations@arbor.com

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. Announces the Appointment of Jeff Lee as its Executive Vice President and Head of Agency Lending