Tom Catherwood's questions to Franklin BSP Realty Trust (FBRT) leadership • Q2 2025
Question
Tom Catherwood from BTIG asked what the NewPoint platform needs to ramp up origination activity, what might spark a sustained recovery in investment sales, and about the savings from migrating FBRT's loans to NewPoint's servicing platform.
Answer
Michael Comparato, President, stated that ramping NewPoint originations is about expanding the sourcing network by adding more originators, not a need for more capital. He believes the market recovery will be a gradual 'acceptance phase' rather than a single catalyst. Jerome Baglien, CFO & COO, confirmed that migrating all BSP-managed loans to NewPoint's servicer will generate meaningful savings, which is factored into the projected $0.08 per share quarterly earnings contribution from the acquisition.