DENNIS BERNARD

Dennis Bernard is the founder and President of Bernard Financial Group (“BFG”) and Bernard Financial Servicing Group (“BFSG”). Founded in 1991,  BFG has grown into the largest commercial mortgage banking firm in Michigan financing an average between $600,000,000 and $700,000,000 per year of Michigan Real Estate.  BFG became part of the Strategic Alliance Mortgage (SAM) network in 2003 (www.samalliance.com). SAM is a national network of the largest independent commercial mortgage banking firm across the United States. 

Over the last 25 years, Mr. Bernard has specialized in both debt and equity placement with commercial lenders and institutional joint venture participants. Bernard Financial Group has also been involved in commercial mortgage servicing on construction and permanent loan portfolios. Mr. Bernard was the Vice President and Manager of Merchants National Bank's Detroit lending office from 1985 to 1998 when he left to work for Cushman & Wakefield’s Financial Service Group in Detroit as a Vice President and Branch Manager until he ventured out on his own and formed BFG. Mr. Bernard has been involved with over 850 commercial real estate financial transactions totaling over $7,200,000,000. Mr. Bernard has been engaged as both a consultant and a correspondent by over twenty national lenders. Bernard Financial Group’s client list reads like Michigan’s Who’s Who of owners and developers. These transactions have included multi and single tenant office, industrial, hi-tech, retail, multi-family, manufactured housing communities, self storage, hotel and senior housing.

Bernard Financial Group has closed over $6,800,000,000 in financing since its inception.  These included forward commitments and immediate fundings on multi-family, retail, industrial and high-tech properties.  The lenders were Life Companies, pension funds, credit companies, securitized lenders and quasi-government agencies.  Bernard Financial Servicing Group currently provides full-servicing for over $2,800,000,000 for Life Companies and CMBS Lenders. Bernard Financial Servicing Group is now actively sub Special Servicing for many national firms.

Mr. Bernard's educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from Miami University along with a MBA specializing in Finance and Strategic Planning from Case Western Reserve University. Mr. Bernard has been a lecturer on real estate finance at the University of Michigan's Graduate School of Business.  Mr. Bernard has also appeared as an expert witness on real estate interest rates and financings in Michigan, New York and Texas.  Mr. Bernard has been an editorial contributor to Commercial, Inc., Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Real Estate Journal, Midwest Real Estate News, National Real Estate Investors and Real Estate Forum.

Mr. Bernard has received numerous awards.   Most recently, he was named to the Midwest Real Estate News Hall of Fame, the only mortgage banker in Michigan with this distinction.  Additionally, he has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as a “40 under 40”, by Midwest Real Estate News as a “40 over 40” Most Influential Real Estate Professional, and by Commercial Inc. as an Elite Eight winner. He has been bestowed the honor of the 2006 Governors Service Award for Volunteering and Community Leadership.  He has also received Crain’s Detroit Business, University of Michigan and ULI’s “Real Estate Excellence” award.  Mr. Bernard was recently honored by being named a “Home Town Hero” for Oakland County for all of his activities and involvements on behalf of local charities.  He has also received the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s Young Leadership award, the Jewish Community Council Activist of the year award and the American Jewish Committee “Outstanding Humanitarian Award”. Mr. Bernard currently sits on nine different charitable organizations Board of Trustees.

Most importantly, Mr. Bernard goes home for dinner every night and spends the weekends with his family.