Focused expertise in commercial real estate finance
W3 Advisory Group is a commercial real estate finance advisory firm specializing in CMBS and CRE CLO due diligence and securitization execution support.
We help investment banks, non-bank lenders and asset managers.
We help investment banks, non-bank lenders and asset managers manage the intensive work required to successfully execute a securitization transaction and to access the capital markets and finance commercial real estate assets.
Our clients engage W3 because successful securitization requires more than additional staffing. It requires a team that understands the market, recognizes potential obstacles and knows how to move a transaction from preparation through execution.
A firm built on specialized experience
W3 is built on more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of commercial real estate and the capital markets.
It was established on a straightforward principle: clients completing complex CMBS and CRE CLO transactions deserve focused expertise from professionals who understand every stage of the process.
We do not attempt to be everything to everyone.
Our work is concentrated within a highly specialized area of commercial real estate finance. This focus allows us to maintain a deep understanding of evolving market expectations, recurring transaction challenges and the standards required by investment banks, attorneys, accounting firms and other participants.
Clients receive more than deliverables. They gain an experienced execution partner invested in the success of the transaction.
Walden W. Wong
Founder and CEO
Founder Walden Wong has worked in commercial real estate finance for more than three decades, both as an adviser and a former investment banker. Over the course of his career, he has worked on more than $300 billion in CMBS and CRE CLO transactions.
Walden’s career spans public accounting, institutional advisory, investment banking and independent commercial real estate finance consulting. This range of experience gives W3 a comprehensive understanding of CMBS and CRE CLO transactions — from the underlying financial analysis and loan documentation to the demands of securitization and capital markets execution.
Walden began his career at Kenneth Levethal & Co., which was merged into Ernst & Young, where he advanced to manager and performed audit and review procedures for a broad range of real estate clients, including homebuilders and real estate investment trusts.
He later joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a director, leading a 10-person practice focused on commercial real estate and the CMBS industry. There, he advised clients on structuring, valuation and due diligence while developing the institutional processes and quality controls required for complex capital markets work.
As a vice president at Credit Suisse, Walden coordinated the daily management of a commercial real estate debt warehouse valued at approximately $1.8 billion. He led deal teams responsible for securitizing commercial mortgage loans through REMIC transactions averaging approximately $2 billion.
In 2009, he became a partner at Lighthouse Advisory Services, helping lead the firm’s commercial real estate finance platform and client engagements across the CRE debt spectrum. His work included CMBS and CRE CLO analysis and execution, loan- and property-level due diligence, underwriting, portfolio valuation and consulting for financial institutions and investors.
Today, W3 brings that institutional experience into a highly focused advisory model entered on CMBS and CRE CLO due diligence and securitization execution support.
Why our experience matters
This professional progression matters. Commercial real estate debt rewards judgement developed across market cycles, translation structures and institutional environments. Walden has examined real estate assets as an auditor, advised clients as a public accounting executive, managed debt from an investment bank’s perspective and guided lenders and investors through complex due diligence engagements.
Walden’s experience provides an extensive understanding of securitization structures, due diligence requirements, market standards and the responsibilities of the many stakeholders involved in bringing a transaction to market.
That multidimensional experience allows W3 to understand not only what must be completed, but why it matters to each party involved in the transaction.
W3 combines the rigor of a major financial institution with the speed, accountability and senior-level attention of a specialized advisory firm. Clients gain a team that understands the details, recognizes the broader implications and knows how to keep demanding transactions moving forward.
Our focus is deliberately narrow. Our experience is exceptionally deep.
A firm built on specialized experience
W3 is built on more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of commercial real estate and the capital markets.
It was established on a straightforward principle: clients completing complex CMBS and CRE CLO transactions deserve focused expertise from professionals who understand every stage of the process.
We do not attempt to be everything to everyone.
Our work is concentrated within a highly specialized area of commercial real estate finance. This focus allows us to maintain a deep understanding of evolving market expectations, recurring transaction challenges and the standards required by investment banks, attorneys, accounting firms and other participants.
Clients receive more than deliverables. They gain an experienced execution partner invested in the success of the transaction.
Our standard
Our goal is not simply to complete an assignment. It is to become an essential part of the client’s execution team.
We measure our work by the confidence our clients place in us, the consistency of our execution and our ability to help transactions move forward without avoidable disruption.