WALKER & DUNLOP

Walker & Dunlop is a leading commercial real estate finance and advisory firm serving clients across the United States and internationally. Led locally by Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Paula A. Pryor, the company employs 1,469 people and generates annual revenue of $1.1 billion.

Founded in 1937 by brothers-in-law Oliver M. Walker and Laird Dunlop, the firm was among the first to use Federal Housing Administration insurance to offer single-family home loans, making lending more reliable and homeownership more attainable. This founding principle of connecting the right capital to real housing needs continues to guide the company’s mission.

Over 89 years, Walker & Dunlop achieved significant milestones. In 1988, it became one of the first Fannie Mae DUS® lenders. Strategic acquisitions of Column Guaranteed in 2009, CWCapital in 2012, Engler Financial in 2015, Alliant and Zelman in 2021, and GeoPhy and Apprise in 2022 broadened its capabilities. In 2025, the company expanded to the United Kingdom.

The firm operates according to The Walker Way, Caring, Collaborative, Driven, Insightful and Tenacious, values that guide its business and empower employees. From single-family lending roots, Walker & Dunlop evolved into a leading multifamily capital provider through diversification and technology investments in automated underwriting, tech-enabled valuation and digital market intelligence tools.

Employees average more than five years of tenure, senior leaders more than 13 years, with 7% voluntary turnover. The company has been recognized eight times on Fortune’s Great Place to Work list and 11 times by The Washington Post.

Corporate responsibility focuses on affordable housing, environmental monitoring, green financing and 10 employee resource groups with more than 32% participation. In 2025, Walker & Dunlop ranked No. 1 Fannie Mae DUS® lender, No. 3 Freddie Mac Multifamily Optigo® Lender and No. 2 HUD Lender nationally, with a $135.3 billion servicing portfolio and a quarterly average Net Promoter Score of 86.

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This profile is part of The Daily Record’s In the Lead: Best Legacy Businesses list for 2026. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at origintdrdev.wpengine.com.