Elliman’s lending arm makes high-profile hire

You could say that Prudential Douglas Elliman’s lending arm now has an Ace up its sleeve. Ace Watanasuparp, a former branch manager for Bank of America and the restaurateur responsible for Hell’s Kitchen’s Ember Room, has been named president of DE Capital Mortgage, the brokerage’s lending division with Wells Fargo, the company told The Real Deal today.

Watanasuparp, who started his career in the mortgage industry as a loan officer with Citibank in Queens and was later recruited to Bank of America to manage a branch in the borough, started the Asian American barbecue restaurant in 2011 with the backing of celebrity chefs Todd English and Ian Chalermkittichai.

The 31-year-old will now serve as overall president for DE, which has offices in all five boroughs as well as in Westchester, Long Island and the Hamptons.

Elliman created DE as a joint venture with Wells in 2009 in order to originate and fund mortgages. At the time, the company said having an in-house mortgage lender would help make it easier for Elliman customers to get loans.

“Ace is simply exceptional,” Elliman President and CEO Dottie Herman said in a statement about Watanasuparp. “He is truly wise beyond his years and brings a fresh approach to business.”

Watanasuparp said he was excited to be a part of a firm which “has positioned itself as the center of all things real estate, from financing to titles, rentals and re-sales.”

Watanasuparp is also the founder of Chace Restaurant Group, a full-service marketing, branding and design group for the restaurant industry.