Maysa Vahidi
About Maysa Vahidi
Maysa Vahidi is Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Arbor Realty Trust (ABR). She joined Arbor in May 2022 after more than two decades practicing commercial real estate law, including roles as Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Rockwood Capital and earlier practice at King & Spalding and Cahill Gordon & Reindel . As GC, she oversees all legal activities across corporate matters, M&A, capital markets, treasury, HR, IT, litigation, and regulatory issues . Company performance context during her tenure (2022–2024) shows cumulative TSR progression and robust distributable earnings alongside fluctuating net income, which frame the operating backdrop for legal and governance execution .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwood Capital | Associate General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer | Not disclosed | Led legal support for acquisitions/dispositions, JVs, financings, and advised on fundraising, investor relations, and governance . |
| King & Spalding LLP | Attorney | Not disclosed | Represented financial institutions in real estate capital markets transactions . |
| Cahill Gordon & Reindel | Attorney | Not disclosed | Represented financial institutions in real estate capital markets transactions . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Foundling | Affiliation (children’s causes) | Not disclosed | Social/civic engagement in NYC . |
| She Builds Committee | Member | Not disclosed | Industry/community involvement . |
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for Ms. Vahidi in the company’s proxy; ABR only discloses detailed compensation for named executive officers (NEOs), and Ms. Vahidi was not an NEO in 2024 .
Performance Compensation
- Company design context (non-CEO executives): Annual incentives are discretionary without preset, formulaic performance goals for 2024; equity awards are a core component of executive pay to align with shareholders .
- CEO metrics (context for ABR’s pay-for-performance philosophy): Distributable EPS, corporate capital growth, balance sheet management, efficiency, and portfolio risk drive CEO bonus; long-term equity includes time-based RS and TSR-based PSUs under the 2024 Agreement .
Key equity program features relevant to executive incentives and potential selling pressure:
- Restricted stock grants in March 2025: 602,016 shares granted to employees for 2024 performance; NEO awards vest 1/3 at grant, 1/3 on first and second anniversaries, a pattern commonly used across senior staff for retention and alignment .
- Dividends on unvested restricted stock are paid at the common rate ($1.72 per share for 2024), encouraging hold-through-vesting .
- ABR historically favors RS/RSUs over options; no stock options granted to date, reducing classic “underwater option” repricing risk .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (common shares) | 35,845 shares (less than 1% of outstanding) . |
| Ownership guidelines | On March 6, 2025, ABR adopted stock ownership guidelines: NEOs = 5× base salary; other Covered Officers (including Executive Vice Presidents and Section 16 officers) = 2× base salary; compliance required by December 31, 2027 . |
| Pledging/hedging | Insider trading policy prohibits covered persons from trading derivatives, pledging, or hedging Arbor stock; NEOs are explicitly covered; policy governs officers and employees per policy definitions . |
| Section 16 administration | Ms. Vahidi serves as attorney-in-fact on multiple Section 16 filings (e.g., Forms 3/4/5) for ABR officers/directors, evidencing direct oversight of insider compliance processes . |
| Initial Form 3 at hire | Reported no securities beneficially owned as of June 7, 2022, indicating subsequent accumulation to current 35,845 shares . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start date | May 2022 . |
| Title | Executive Vice President, General Counsel . |
| Employment agreement | No specific agreement disclosed for Ms. Vahidi; ABR states NEOs (not including Ms. Vahidi) have no employment, severance or change-in-control agreements (CEO has a separate agreement) . |
| Change-of-control equity treatment | NEO restricted stock vests in full upon a change in control; Ms. Vahidi’s award terms are not disclosed (context for plan design) . |
| Clawback | NYSE-compliant executive officer clawback policy in place to recoup erroneously awarded incentive compensation after an accounting restatement . |
| Insider trading & governance | Insider trading policy and codes of ethics apply; code of business conduct and ethics covers all employees, officers and directors . |
Company Performance Context During Her Tenure
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company TSR – $100 invested Dec 31, 2019 (year-end value) | 122 | 158 | 164 |
| Net income ($) | 353,827,809 | 400,556,657 | 283,918,655 |
| Distributable earnings ($) | 405,695,825 | 452,478,707 | 358,019,878 |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Vahidi’s beneficial ownership of 35,845 shares aligns with shareholders, and newly adopted ownership guidelines (2× base salary for Executive Vice Presidents and other covered officers) create a structural incentive to maintain or increase holdings through 12/31/2027; watch for Form 4 purchases if a shortfall exists .
- Selling pressure watchpoints: ABR’s RS vesting cadence (e.g., 1/3 at grant and 1/3 on each of the next two anniversaries for 2025 awards to senior staff) may create periodic liquidity windows; however, dividend accrual on unvested shares provides a counterweight to immediate sales .
- Governance and risk: The prohibition on pledging/hedging by covered persons mitigates adverse alignment signals; the NYSE-compliant clawback enhances downside governance protection on incentive compensation .
- Execution risk lens: As GC overseeing broad legal/compliance scope across capital markets, M&A, and regulatory matters, her role is central to navigating sector legal/credit cycles; her Section 16 attorney-in-fact role indicates robust insider compliance infrastructure at ABR .