The Real Deal New York

From the April issue: Howard Michaels, founder, chairman and CEO of international real estate investment banking firm the Carlton Group, spoke to The Real Deal about growing up as “a fat Jewish kid in an all-Italian neighborhood” in Queens. Founded in 1991, Carlton specializes in equity and debt placement, investment sales and commercial and residential loan sales. In 2007 alone, the company closed more than $7 billion in transactions. Some of its more notable deals include the 2007 financing of the $350 million Trump Soho; the $825 million equity and condo conversion financing of Manhattan House in 2005; and the $1.7 billion recapitalization of the GM Building in 2004. As of early March, the company was representing Kushner Companies in the $2 billion recapitalization of 666 Fifth Avenue.