SS&C Technologies Targets Mortgage REITs with New Servicing Group

By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc. has expanded its business offerings to the real estate industry with the establishment of its REIT servicing group. The team will focus its efforts on providing a range of financial-enabled services and software in the commercial mortgage-backed securities and residential mortgage-backed securities arenas.

SS&C’s new group will assist mortgage REIT clients with the computerized management of accounting and reporting, which is often handled manually by this sector. Among the long list of services are operational assessments, comprehensive audit capabilities, fixed income and trading, collateral management and MBS portfolio management, accounting and reporting.

“We’re establishing processes and controls around the accounting for complex structured instruments, collateral management, GAAP compliance, REIT compliance and SEC disclosures to ensure they have the tools needed to succeed,” Timothy Reilly, senior vice president and general manager with SS&C’s Institutional Services division, said in a prepared statement.

The timing appears to be right for SS&C’s launch of its REIT servicing group. According to a report released in March by commercial real estate services firm CBRE Inc., CMBS platforms are showing levels of confidence and enthusiasm not seen since five years ago. Expectations for 2014 are high, with an anticipated issuance of $125 billion for the year, which would mark a 45 percent increase over the $86 billion of activity in 2013.