# Ivan Kaufman

> Ivan Kaufman is the founder, chairman, president and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, a U.S. multifamily and commercial real estate lender. He started Arbor’s predecessor while attending Hofstra Law, sold the residential business to Bank of America in 1995 while retaining the commercial operation, and later expanded into property acquisitions and online real estate investing. His public life also includes founding North Shore Hebrew Academy High School and a longstanding interest in golf.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman, President and CEO at Arbor Realty Trust
- **Organizations:** Arbor Realty Trust, Arbor National Holdings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage, Arbor Multifamily Acquisition Company (AMAC), ArborCrowd, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, Birthright Israel Foundation
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Boston University, Juris Doctor, Hofstra University School of Law
- **Known for:** Built Arbor National Holdings into a residential mortgage operation with 25 branches across 11 states., Led Arbor Realty Trust through its April 2004 public listing., Founded North Shore Hebrew Academy High School and serves as its board chairman.

## Career timeline

- **1983** — Founded the residential mortgage business that became Arbor while attending Hofstra Law.
- **1985** — Graduated from Hofstra Law.
- **1992** — Arbor National Holdings went public at $9 per share.
- **1995** — Sold the residential business to Bank of America at $17.50 per share; retained the Arbor name and commercial operation.
- **2003** — Began serving as chairman, CEO and president of Arbor Realty Trust.
- **2004** — Arbor Realty Trust became publicly traded in April.
- **2012** — Established the multifamily acquisition business AMAC.
- **2016** — Arbor Realty Trust acquired Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s agency business; ArborCrowd launched.
- **2019** — Acquired Three Ponds Farm and subsequently worked on its golf course with Rees Jones.
- **2026** — Reelected as a Class II director of Arbor Realty Trust, with a term running to the 2029 annual meeting.

## Achievements

- Built Arbor National Holdings into a residential mortgage operation with 25 branches across 11 states.
- Led Arbor Realty Trust through its April 2004 public listing.
- Founded North Shore Hebrew Academy High School and serves as its board chairman.
- Named a regional Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine.
- Guest-lectured at Harvard Business School’s Real Estate Club, Columbia University and Wharton.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — His personal site featured Arbor’s Special Report Fall 2026 on September 29.
- **2026-07** — Arbor reported Q2 2026 GAAP net loss of $37.3 million, a $38.2 million net provision for loan losses, and a quarterly common dividend of $0.17 per share.
- **2026-05** — Stockholders reelected Kaufman to a Class II director term ending at the 2029 annual meeting.
- **2026-03** — North Shore Hebrew Academy’s annual dinner honored the high school’s founding families at its twenty-fifth anniversary, with Kaufman presenting.

## Links

- Website: https://ivankaufman.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivankaufman/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ivan_kaufman
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IvanKaufman
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivankaufmannyc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ivan-kaufman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15