This week, I speak with Sean Dobson, chairman, CEO and CIO of Amherst Holdings LLC. The firm manages $16.8 billion in assets focused on single-family rentals, mortgage-backed securities and commercial real estate. He currently serves as a governing trustee for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and is a co-founder of CapCityKids.
Amherst was managing a variety of public and private label loans in the 2000s, including mortgage-backed securities (MBS). They created a proprietary technology platform to help them evaluate and maintain a suite of residential and commercial real estate investments.
Dobson advised the White House, senators, congressmen, the Federal Reserve Board and private investors during the global financial crisis, including their views on subprime mortgages, structured products, and derivatives.
The firm began opportunistically purchasing distressed mortgage products during the financial crisis when few other buyers were doing so. They also began purchasing single family homes as home prices collapsed, repairing and renting them. They now manage more than 100,000 residences in 32 markets across the U.S.
A list of his favorite books is here; A transcript of our conversation is available here Tuesday.
You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business next week with Mark Wiedman, BlackRock’s Head of the Global Client Business. He is responsible for commercial businesses worldwide, and has been with Blackrock since 2004. The firm manages over $10 trillion in client assets.
Sean Dobson Favorite Books
Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter Bernstein
A City is Not a Tree: 50th Anniversary Edition by Christopher Alexander
Crime Junkie Case Files: Missing Persons Cold Cases Vol. 1, True Crime Investigations of People Who Mysteriously Disappeared by Dexter Gable
The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession by Peter Bernstein
Books Barry Mentioned
Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression by Christopher Knowlton
