California’s affordable housing and workforce housing developers turn to Century to get projects off the ground quickly and reliably.
Our acquisition loans, bridge loans, construction loans and permanent loans have already supported the development of more than 50,000 quality multifamily affordable homes.
Golden State Acquisition Fund (GSAF)
Los Angeles County Housing Innovation Fund (LACHIF)
Century’s lending team has a combined total of over 100 years of experience and works in conjunction with our in-house loan administration and legal departments for responsive service and reliable delivery.
Adrian Alvarez
Loan Administration Officer
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Loan Administration Officer
Adrian Alvarez is a Loan Administration Officer at Century Housing Corporation. Mr. Alvarez oversees Century financial products like acquisition, predevelopment, construction, and permanent loans through their closing and post-closing life cycle. Since 2019, he has played a key role in more than 50 affordable housing development transactions between Northern and Southern California. Mr. Alvarez has experience working with city and county staff to ensure the delivery of certain funds to qualifying projects. The L.A. County Housing Innovation Fund with the Los Angeles County Housing Authority and the Golden State Acquisition Fund with the Low Income Investment Fund are examples of two such funds.
Mr. Alvarez received his Bachelor of Arts in Business with a concentration in Accounting at the California State University of Fullerton. He is an alumnus of the Ross Minority Program from the University of Southern California Lusk Center and the Levine Affordable Housing Development Program at the University of California, Los Angeles Ziman Center for Real Estate. Additionally, Mr. Alvarez has completed real estate development courses from accredited institutions like the National Development Council and the National Business Institute.
Sion Baghoumian
Loan Analyst
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Loan Analyst
Sion Baghoumian, Loan Analyst, joined Century Housing in 2022. He brings forth a positive attitude and a willingness to learn which help him in his role, which entails supporting the lending and origination team underwrite and input all necessary due diligence regarding new loan material in a timely manner as well as utilizing data analytics to better improve workflow and productivity.
Having recently graduated University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Mr. Baghoumian has garnered the analytical skills and tools to help his team with data computation. During his time at USC, Sion’s coursework included statistical and financial analysis, as well as econometrics.
Zina Banks
Senior Paralegal
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Senior Paralegal
As Senior Paralegal, Zina J. Banks is solely responsible for the production and generation of all legal documentation pertaining to all of Century’s loans and affordability monitoring for single-family and multifamily development, and provides continuous support for lending on new products. Mrs. Banks has been a member of the Century team since 1996.
Prior to taking on the paralegal role in 2007, Mrs. Banks served as Century’s Senior Resident Services Counselor and Educator for the division of Resident & Ownership Services. She planned, organized, and conducted first-time homebuyer seminars and workshops to prepare community members to become successful homeowners; provided various communities and cities with information related to loans, grants, and government funding for homeownership; and trained homeowner associations on how to operate their boards. Previously, Mrs. Banks served as Resident Services Administrative Assistant for Century and Senior Administrative Assistant/Public Information Officer for CFAAC, Inc.
Mrs. Banks completed the Loyola Law School Conflict Resolution Training Program. She also has a real estate license and is a certified housing counselor and educator and homebuyer educator.
Serybrem (CB) Bass
Senior Loan Administration Officer
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Senior Loan Administration Officer
Serybrem Bass has been a member of the Century team since the corporation’s inception more than 25 years ago. She worked as Sales Coordinator before assuming her current position as Senior Loan Administration Officer. Mrs. Bass is responsible for the timely closing of various loan products. In 2022 alone, she successfully completed 15 closings totaling more than $86 million.
Mrs. Bass acts as the primary contact point with the borrower, lender, escrow agent, and investor or financer. She compiles complete closing packages by preparing documents, collecting and reviewing documents, and resolving issues that interfere with a timely closing. Mrs. Bass analyzes and processes incoming draw requests for construction, lines of credit, and predevelopment loans. She reviews documentation for proper approvals and makes loan disbursements per contract terms. She also performs official notary services as required.
Mrs. Bass studied business administration at Panola Junior College in Carthage, Texas. She has received certifications from the National Development Council and the National Business Institute, and she is certified by the National Notary Association as a notary public.
Mrs. Bass applies the same organizational, communication, and management skills used at Century to serve her community. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity Chapel Life Center. Before its closure, she served as a member of the Compton Optimist Club.
Whether working at Century or contributing her services to community outreach, Mrs. Bass adds levels of excellence and dedication that resonate integrity and genuine, compassionate respect for everyone she encounters through the projects she’s assigned.
Karen Bennett-Green
Vice President,
Loan Administration
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Vice President, Loan Administration
Karen Bennett-Green, Vice President of Loan Administration, is responsible for managing Century’s loan portfolio. She has more than 15 years of real estate loan experience, including affordable commercial, multifamily, modular family units, and mixed use and AMI income niches. She has extensive experience in working with tax credit terms, tax-exempt bonds, and Fannie Mae “Direct Underwriting Service” transactions. Additionally, Ms. Bennett-Green manages the loan administration and closing staff, who have extensive expertise, training, and professional networking in the industry to deliver the service Century clients can rely on.
Ms. Bennett-Green’s previous roles have included Housing Specialist with the Housing Authority of the City of Inglewood before going to the Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group in Long Beach where she oversaw all aspects of risk management for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits of a robust Section 42 portfolio.
Ms. Bennett-Green received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles. She has her Housing Development Finance Professional Certification from the National Development Council.
Tracey Burns
Vice President,
Construction Lending
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Vice President, Construction Lending
Tracey L. Burns, Vice President of Construction Lending, is a seasoned professional who has been in the affordable housing industry for the last 18 years. Ms. Burns is responsible for Century’s urban infill construction and affordable housing lending programs throughout California. Most recently, Ms. Burns was selected to oversee the Century Emerging Developers Program designed to promote minority professionals by increasing their access to capital. Ms. Burns has underwritten more than $541 million in predevelopment, acquisition, and construction loans which resulted in more than 2,300 workforce and low-income housing units.
Prior to her employment at Century Housing, Ms. Burns worked with Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group as an Acquisitions Specialist, responsible for evaluating prospective deals and securing documentation for all land acquisitions.
Ms. Burns is a board member of the Executive Committee at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, a leading institution in real estate and affordable housing; and she is an advisory member of the Harbor Sustainability Gateway Project, a community-based advocacy organization in the Harbor Gateway South Community. She also oversees community funding for the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor Gateway. She is a member of the African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP) as well as an alumna in the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the USC Lusk Center. Ms. Burns is also a guest lecturer at USC in real estate development and financing.
Ms. Burns graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills, with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and a concentration in Criminal Justice.
Karen Davis
Vice President, Loan Officer
Southern California
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Vice President, Loan Officer
Karen Davis, Vice President, Loan Officer, has been in the affordable housing industry for the last 20 years. Ms. Davis’s primary role at Century is to provide early-stage financing for affordable housing developments while broadening relationships with existing clients and building bridges with new clients in the Southern California region.
Prior to her employment at Century, Ms. Davis worked in a variety of roles as project manager and asset manager for both a non-profit developer and a for-profit developer. As a project manager, she focused on activities related to pre-development through construction completion and subsequently to permanent loan conversion. Her duties as an asset manager included managing stabilized asset operations, refinancings, and capital improvements. From these roles she transitioned to banking, underwriting both construction loans and equity investments at Bank of America and CIT/First Citizens Bank. Ms. Davis’s breadth of experience in the full life cycle of the development process brings a unique perspective in her role as a Loan Officer at Century Housing.
Ms. Davis received an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a concentration in Real Estate. She currently serves as a mentor to the Merritt Scholars program and is a Board Member at Heritage Housing in Pasadena, which is an affordable housing developer of for-sale homes.
Nick Friend
Director, Northern California
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Director, Northern California
As Director, Northern California, Nick Friend leads Century’s Northern California office origination activities. Since joining Century, he has structured over $400 million of financing for primarily land acquisition. Mr. Friend enjoys providing clients with critical early stage-loans and treasures the moments when Century can offer a helpful insight into the development process and speed the delivery of affordable housing.
Mr. Friend previously served as a Mortgage Officer at the Community Preservation Corporation originating construction and permanent debt, and as an Associate at Citi Community Capital providing credit facilities to CDFIs, placing CRA-driven equity in affordable housing and venture funds, and financing charter schools. He also worked in project management at the NYCEDC in the Bloomberg administration, administering the construction of the High Line along Manhattan’s lower west side.
Mr. Friend received his MBA in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship from Columbia University where he was a Bodini fellow and his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Urban Studies from Yale University. He is a past board member of Cal-ALHFA and a current board member of Operation Dignity.
Josh Hamilton
Senior Vice President,
Lending
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Senior Vice President, Lending
As Senior Vice President of Lending, Josh Hamilton oversees Century’s affordable and workforce housing lending platform. He is a seasoned professional with more than 15 years of experience in affordable housing finance.
Mr. Hamilton graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, he served in state government as a California State Senate Fellow, and a legislative analyst, with a focus on affordable housing and local government policy. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton earned a Masters in Real Estate Development through the School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He currently serves on the Housing Commission for the City of Santa Monica.
DeMarcus Langford
Senior Loan Analyst
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Senior Loan Analyst
DeMarcus Langford, Senior Loan Analyst, has been a part of Century for more than 17 years. Mr. Langford is tasked with business research and financial data analysis which are key functions at the early stages of loan processing. Prior to joining Century’s lending team, Mr. Langford was the Asset Manager of Century Housing and was charged with overseeing operational aspects of the organization’s housing division and corporate headquarters which consists of 1,209 residential housing units and 25,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space, respectively.
Mr. Langford has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of legal, office operations, facilities/asset management, and financial analysis. Prior to his tenure as Asset Manager, Mr. Langford held successful roles as a Paralegal and Facilities Manager at Century Housing. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Langford was Assistant General Manager at Hall Financial Group and was tasked with overseeing operational, administrative, office planning, and leasing of 2.2 million sq. ft. of office space in 15 class A buildings encompassing a 162-acre site in Frisco, Texas.
Mr. Langford is a United States Navy SEABEE veteran who served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Mr. Langford is a NeighborWorks Training Institute Certified Homeownership Counselor, a JPMorgan Chase/LA LISC Training Institute Certified Asset Management Specialist, and he has more than 17 years’ experience in all aspects of property tax welfare exemption matters related to affordable housing.
Maria Obledo
Loan Assistant
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Loan Assistant
Maria Obledo, Loan Assistant, Financial Products, has been a member of the Century team since 2006. Ms. Obledo fills a unique role within the lending group. She is responsible for assisting the Senior Vice President of Lending and all lending staff. Her contributions help support a multitude of activities related to lending, originating, loan submissions for Board loan approval, and third-party report engagements. She also prepares all internal documentation related to loan extensions. Ms. Obledo also contributes to Century’s lending marketing efforts by planning and coordinating conferences as well as lending staff participation. Additionally, she performs a wide variety of administrative tasks to help maintain the Agiloft (contract management software) system’s hygiene and many other duties deemed necessary for the success of the organization.
Previously, Ms. Obledo served as an administrative assistant to the director of engineering at Sanford N.A., where her responsibilities consisted of the preparation of engineering project-based reports; coordinating the agenda for engineering management staff, visitors, and vendors; coordinating executive travel; and other executive duties. She also served as an on-site supervisor at Adecco Personnel Services, where she directed and coordinated activities for more than 400+ employees; recruited and managed temporary associates; generated reports; and various office obligations. Ms. Obledo is a member of the National Notary Association.
Betty O’Quinn-Autry
Senior Loan Administration Officer
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Senior Loan Administration Officer
Betty O’Quinn-Autry has been in the mortgage and real estate industry for more than 30 years, and with Century since 2006. As Senior Loan Administration Officer, Ms. O’Quinn-Autry’s expertise in construction, acquisition/bridge, and predevelopment loan closing has produced millions of dollars in rapid funding for Century. She is responsible for collecting due diligence, loan contracts, site inspections, and administering payments for borrowers.
Ms. O’Quinn-Autry previously served at Bank of America as a loan representative. She is a member of the Carson Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Century. Outside of work, she is the board president of a homeowners association and regularly provides food services to the homeless community through BOQ Serving Spoon, which she started during the pandemic.
Evan Sarna
Senior Underwriter
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Senior Underwriter
As a Senior Underwriter at Century Housing, Evan Sarna works with the originations team to underwrite and structure financing for affordable and workforce housing developments in California.
Prior to joining Century, Mr. Sarna served as an Associate Director at Aegon Asset Management underwriting tax credit equity investments for affordable developments in California. He also worked as a Consultant with Seifel Consulting in San Francisco advising public agencies in California on redevelopment, economic development and affordable housing policies and programs. Additionally, Mr. Sarna spent time as a Project Manager with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation where he led development activities for several projects in San Francisco.
Mr. Sarna received a Master of City Planning from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from UC Santa Cruz.
