AvalonBay Communities, Equity Residential Merger Rebrands as Vivmark Residential – Commercial Observer
A new company brings a new name.
Two months after multifamily giants AvalonBay Communities and Equity Residential merged to form one of the country’s largest real estate companies — the total enterprise value is calculated at $71 billion — the two firms announced Friday that their new company will be called Vivmark Residential.
The new firm, which is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT), will hold the New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol VMRK.
“The name Vivmark Residential reflects what we are building — a company determined to set a new standard for the experience of home,” said Benjamin Schall, CEO of AvalonBay Communities and the new CEO of the combined entity.
The new name combines two words — Viv, from the Latin word “vivere,” or “to live fully,” and the English word “mark,” meaning “quality, distinction, and lasting impact,” according to a release from AvalonBay.
“Vivmark Residential is built from the exceptional foundations that AvalonBay and Equity Residential have each spent more than 30 years establishing as trusted leaders,” added Schall.
Vivmark Residential will take control of the residential REIT landscape as the new biggest player on the block.
The combined entity will hold a portfolio of more than 180,000 rental apartments across 600 distinct apartment communities and assets, with another 10,800 units and $4.4 billion of development in its construction pipeline.
Avalon Bay stock currently trades at $187 per share, as of Friday morning, down 2 percent over the last five days, while Equity Residential stock trades at $67 per share, also down 2 percent in the last week.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
Brian Pascus can be reached at bpascus@commercialobserver.com.
