FAQs: AHIC's New Affiliate Membership Program 

1. What types of firms are eligible to join as Affiliate Members?  
   In the initial rollout of this new program weare taking a measured approach, focusing on organizations that work closely with investors in the LIHTC space. In 2025, eligible organizations will only include Syndicators and Brokers of federal housing tax credits. 
   
   Developers, lenders, consultants and professional service providers (e.g., attorneys, accountants, tax professionals) are not currently eligible to join.
   
   AHIC is committed to evaluating the program on an ongoing basis and expanding or changing the criteria in the future.
   
   

2. How will this affect the Fall Summit and guest registrations?  
   Syndicators and brokers eligible to join as Affiliates will be required to join to attend the Fall Summit. As members, they will enjoy a reduced registration rate, although limitations on the number of registrations available to Affiliate Members will be retained. 
   
   We recognize some firms that are not eligible to join as Affiliates have traditionally attended the Fall Summit. We will have a limited number of guest invitations for those firms. To request one, email us at info@ahic.org. 
   
   

3. Do Affiliate members and Investor members have the same access to AHIC programs and services?
   No. Affiliates have limited access to AHIC benefits and services as will some employees of Investor-member firms who raise capital from investors or work in sales. One of the goals of the Affiliate Membership program is to level the playing field between syndicators at stand-alone syndicator firms and employees at banks who work in syndication. 
   
   Investor Representatives: Have exclusive access to investor-only events, including the Spring Meeting and all Third Thursday webinars. Have full voting rights, can serve on all committees and can hold leadership roles, including committee chairs, Officers and Governors.
   
   Affiliate Representatives: Will have access to selected events, such as the Fall Summit and some webinars and may participate in some committees (Membership and Programs) as non-voting members, but will not have voting rights and cannot serve in leadership roles. 
   
   Learn more about specific benefits and access here.
   
   
4. What is the employee categorization system, why is it necessary and how does it benefit the industry?
   AHIC membership is corporate based which means all employees of member firms have access to AHIC membership benefits and services. As some investor firms have expanded into syndication, the lines between investors and syndicators have become less clear. This has created confusion about access to AHIC’s investor-only spaces and benefits.
   
   Going forward, all employees of AHIC member firms will be categorized as Investor Representatives or Affiliate Representatives to provide clarity, preserve investor-only forums and ensure a level playing field among syndicators. In short, the system works as follows: 
   
   Investor Firms that do NOT syndicate housing tax credits: All employees are Investor Representatives and have full access to AHIC's membership programs, meetings and services.
   
   Investor Firms that DO syndicate housing tax credits: Employees who call on investors to raise capital or work in sales are Affiliate Representatives. All others are Investor Representatives.
   
   Affiliate Members (Syndicators and Brokers): All employees are Affiliate Representatives.
     
5. How do I know if I’m an Investor or Affiliate Representative? 
   Your firm’s activities and your role in the firm determine your categorization. Your answers to the profile questions asked when creating your account will be used to categorize you. If you’re unsure, contact us at info@ahic.org for clarification.