The AI Advantage in CRE: Lending, Risk, and Real-Time Insights

Summary

In this live-recorded episode of The Blueprint Tour from the 2024 CREI Summit in Atlanta, hosts Kenny Shultz and Carter Huddleston sit down with Lonnie Hendry, Chief Product Officer at Trepp and co-host of The TreppWire Podcast. With over two decades in commercial real estate—spanning multifamily development, valuations, and now CRE data analytics—Lonnie unpacks how AI, lending data, and real-time market insights are reshaping decision-making in the industry. From understanding CMBS and CLO structures to predicting loan risks and exploring how large language models could link finance, design, and construction, this conversation bridges the gap between capital markets and the job site. Whether you’re a lender, developer, engineer, or investor, you’ll walk away with new ideas on integrating data-driven tools into your workflow and staying ahead in a fast-changing CRE landscape.

Keywords

CREI Summit, commercial real estate, Trepp, Lonnie Hendry, The TreppWire Podcast, CMBS, CLO, AI in CRE, lending risk, commercial mortgage-backed securities, construction lending, loan performance, CRE analytics, underwriting, large language models, real estate data, real estate finance, deal structuring, predictive analytics, AI in construction, CRE technology, real-time insights, risk assessment, data modeling

Takeaways

• CMBS and CLO data can reveal early warning signs of loan distress before they hit headlines.

• AI and large language models can connect siloed data across lending, engineering, and construction.

• Portable recording setups make consistent, high-quality content creation possible from anywhere.

• Real-time analytics give lenders, investors, and operators a competitive edge in volatile markets.

• Integrating finance and design data could prevent costly delays, missed specs, or blown timelines.

• The CRE industry is shifting toward transparency, efficiency, and technology-driven decision-making.

Sound Bites

“Commercial real estate is a high-stakes game—too many things have to go right for it to succeed.”

“My address is basically American Airlines Row 12 Seat C.”

“If you’re not pushing toward new technology now, you’re already getting left behind.”

“We have 30 years of granular CRE data—information you just can’t get anywhere else.”

“A custom LLM could track a project from the lending terms all the way to the last RFI.”

Chapters

1. Welcome and CREI Summit Intro

2. Meet Lonnie Hendry of Trepp & The TreppWire Podcast

3. What CMBS and CLO Data Really Tells You

4. The Portable Podcast Setup for Consistency

5. How AI is Changing Risk Assessment in CRE

6. Bridging Finance, Design, and Construction Data

7. Predicting Loan Performance with Real-Time Analytics

8. The Future of LLMs in Commercial Real Estate

9. Lonnie’s Take on Transparency and Tech Adoption

10. Final Thoughts and Where to Find Lonnie

Where to Find Lonnie Hendry

LinkedIn · Twitter . The TreppWire Podcast

Where to Find The Blueprint Tour

YouTube · TikTok · TheBPTour.com · Kenny (Host) · Carter (Host)