THE UNKNOWN CZAR

FEDS No individual in this city controls more “for sale” real estate. No local commands a larger banking empire. And almost nobody knows him.

His name is BRENT CIURLINO, and if you don’t know him, perhaps you can guess his occupation. If not, maybe this three-letter hint will help-RTC. As Deputy Director of the Real Estate and Asset Disposition of the Dallas office of the Resolution Trust Corporation, the 33-year-old Ciurlino oversees enormous resources: one-third of available Dallas real estate and the assets of 34 area banks-a cool $9 billion in errant judgment.

As the local leader of a massive bureaucracy that must function with the resourcefulness of the private sector, Ciurlino knows critics will pounce on any agency that stumbles, but he remains upbeat. “There’s good management here. We have hired lots of private-sector people who are used to innovation, “he says.

While it is clear that the RTC is very important to the future of this area, the public may not know that Ciurlino and team are moving full speed ahead. Local RTC figures reveal $2 billion of federally seized assets now under private contract and sales in excess of $1 billion.

Ciurlino is quick to share credit for getting the ball rolling. “The community is fully behind its own recovery. Our customers want to help the RTC clean up this mess. They want to attract new capital here and do deals.

So do we. “