Athur L. Fleming

Principal

Arthur has over 35 years of results-driven experience in an array of leadership positions in CRA, Community Lending, Economic Development, Affordable Housing, and Financial Services. After a successful career in various corporate environments: for-profit, non-profit, foundation, and academic, Arthur is applying his wealth of knowledge and experience and leveraging his relationships and associations with local governments, community development corporations, developers, banks, and mortgage companies to assist you in strengthening your community development, real estate development or finance projects or businesses.

Fleming Connections is your “one stop” for consulting and advisory services in community lending, and CRA leadership development, strategy and risk management, capital fundraising and deployment, transactional underwriting, relationship management, asset and regulatory compliance management as Arthur has committed his entire career to investing in communities, devising economic development strategies, building public and private business alliances to develop or rehabilitate residential and commercial projects. As a retired senior executive, Arthur, through Fleming Connections, offers industry insights, recommendations, and a roadmap for your projects. His wealth of knowledge and experience and track record of success in the industry will prove valuable.

As Senior Vice President and Director of Community Investment Services for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta), Arthur served as the FHLBank Atlanta's community investment officer and was a member of the FHLBank Atlanta's executive management committee, and other committees including credit and collateral; diversity and inclusion; and chair of the community investment committee. Arthur led and managed the FHLBank Atlanta's community investment, economic development, and affordable housing businesses, products and services. Arthur provided the strategic, executive, board management, technical and hands-on leadership for the intake, processing, underwriting, decisioning, funding, asset management, developer and lender relationship management, compliance, operational, and policy elements of almost a billion dollars of subordinate debt and real estate equity portfolio consisting of over $6 billion in development and approximately 200,000 units of rental and ownership housing.

Before joining the FHLBank Atlanta, Arthur was the Chief Lending & Investment Officer for the Opportunity Finance Network, Inc., (OFN). As Chief Lending and Investment Officer, Arthur was responsible for leading and managing OFN's financial services unit and all wholesale lending, underwriting, and portfolio management services associated with OFN's $50 million lending balance sheet. Arthur also focused on innovating financing strategies and products, the managed assets service, and debt and equity capitalization for OFN.

Prior to OFN, Arthur served as the Senior Director for the Southeast Region and Director of Housing Finance for the Fannie Mae Foundation. In this role Arthur leveraged his significant background in nonprofit development and finance by working with local developers in providing both operational and real estate capital. Before joining the Fannie Mae Foundation, he was an in-house consultant for a Wall Street inner-city investment fund where he created a business plan for a residential acquisition and development private equity fund.

Prior to that, Arthur spent four years at GMAC Residential Mortgage (GMACM), starting as VP of Community Lending and later promoted to SVP, Managing Director/Housing Initiatives. At GMACM he led and executed the enterprise-wide platform for GMACM growth, profitability, and market share in the emerging markets consumer sector. Arthur designed and executed mortgage product and business development strategies, a bond master servicing plan and community-lending platforms that were highly profitable. One notable product Arthur led and managed resulted in an incremental $1 billion in retail and wholesale mortgage loan production over an 18-month period and by comparison tripled GMACM's penetration into targeted consumer markets. At GMACM, Arthur also created a faith-based construction product and a new-immigrant mortgage product. Arthur also originated and closed targeted subdivision transactions and delivered over $35 million in community development loan approvals.

Before joining GMACM, Arthur was the founder and Executive Director of the Community Financing Consortium, Inc (CFC) from 1990 to 1999. The CFC Board leadership consisted of sixteen regulated banks and savings and loans. Arthur was responsible for closing over $100 million in first mortgage and over $100 million in subordinate debt and equity resulting in over 800 single-family mortgages and 1,300 multifamily tax credit and other rental housing. Arthur was the primary underwriter and credit analyst for each transaction. At the CFC Arthur also created a loan pool for subdivision acquisition and development and created a loan pool for small rental property development and rehabilitation. A fundamental element of the success of the CFC was Arthur working closely and providing innovation, technical, and strategic management to local governments, and emerging private and nonprofit developers.

Prior to the CFC, Arthur was the Attorney/Senior Associate for the FAU/FIU Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems where he led and managed land use, environmental and related research projects, published several articles and taught graduate courses in urban planning, economic development and growth management law.

Arthur is a frequent speaker at events typically delivering over 25 public presentations annually at industry conferences and forums. Mr. Fleming is the recipient of many awards in recognition of his contributions to the affordable housing industry and was honored by the Governor of Florida and by the Palm Beach County Commission with a proclamation making June 17, 1999 “Arthur Fleming Day in Palm Beach County”. Arthur has served on many boards including New Market Tax Credit advisory boards for Invest Atlanta, Greenline Ventures, Inc., Self-Help Credit Union, Florida State University Foundation Board of Trustees, The Henry Arthur Callis Education Foundation Board and was on the Executive Committee of the board for the Martin Luther King Washington DC Memorial Foundation. Arthur received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 1981, a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning in 1984 and Law (JD) degree from the University of Florida in 1985. Florida State University recognized Arthur in 2019 as one of their “Grads Made Good”. Arthur is a life member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.