How to Update Strat Tables in the Starwood Monthly Report

Learn how to accurately transfer financial strat tables from Excel to Word using the Paste Special method to maintain perfect formatting.

June 19, 2026 By Eddy Kup

This guide demonstrates how to transfer financial strat table data from the Excel portfolio summary to the Word presentation for the Starwood Monthly Investor Report. Updating these tables correctly ensures formatting consistency across the final published deck.

This process is used by reporting analysts during the final stages of the monthly reporting cycle, specifically after all Excel data has been finalized and validated.

The Paste Special Method

You will use this identical sequence repeatedly to migrate all tables. Rather than standard pasting, using an Enhanced Metafile prevents column distortion.

Source File	Destination	Method	Purpose
Excel (`Portfolio Summary` tab)	Word (Monthly Report Template)	`Alt + E`, `S`, `Enter`	Pastes the selection as a scalable image to preserve cell formatting.

1. Initial Excel Formatting

Before copying any tables, ensure no rows or columns are inadvertently hiding data.

Step #1: Open the Excel data file and click the Portfolio Summary tab. — Open the Excel data file and click the **Portfolio Summary** tab.

Press Alt + O, then R, then A to auto-fit row heights across the active sheet.

2. Updating Warehouse Lender Distribution

Highlight the top chart for the Warehouse Lender and press Ctrl + C to copy.

Step #4: Switch to your Word document and click the existing Warehouse Lender table to select it. — Switch to your Word document and click the existing Warehouse Lender table to select it.

Press Alt + E to open the Paste Special menu.

Press S and then Enter to paste the table as an Enhanced Metafile.

3. Updating On-Balance Sheet (On BS Only)

Step #7: In Excel, highlight the data range for the On BS Only loan table. — In Excel, highlight the data range for the **On BS Only** loan table.

Press Ctrl + C to copy the selected data.

Step #9: In Word, click the corresponding legacy table in the On Balance Sheet section. — In Word, click the corresponding legacy table in the On Balance Sheet section.

Press Alt + E.

Press S and Enter to complete the paste action.

You will notice zeros at the bottom of the unbalance tables. These act as an internal checksum to guarantee the ending balance precisely matches the sum of the rows above it.

4. Updating Securitization Trust Distribution (ABS Only)

In Excel, highlight the bottom section of the ABS Only table first and copy it using Ctrl + C.

Step #13: Switch to Word and select the bottom table in the Securitization Trust section. — Switch to Word and select the bottom table in the Securitization Trust section.

Press Alt + E, then S and Enter to paste the selection.

Return to Excel, and copy the top portion of the ABS trust table.

Step #16: In Word, select the top table. — In Word, select the top table.

Press Alt + E, then S and Enter to paste.

Step #18: Drag the resizing handles on the corners of the newly pasted table to manually stretch and align it with the document margins. — Drag the resizing handles on the corners of the newly pasted table to manually stretch and align it with the document margins.

5. Updating the Total Portfolio Tables

In Excel, copy the Total Portfolio summary table using Ctrl + C.

Step #20: In Word, select the existing Total Portfolio legacy table. — In Word, select the existing Total Portfolio legacy table.

Press Alt + E, then S, and Enter to overwrite it.

Step #22: Return to Excel and highlight the next secondary Total Portfolio data block. — Return to Excel and highlight the next secondary **Total Portfolio** data block.

Copy the selection.

Step #24: Switch to Word and click the corresponding secondary table. — Switch to Word and click the corresponding secondary table.

Press Alt + E.

Press S and Enter to paste.

6. Troubleshooting Formatting Issues

If you copy a table from Excel and the text appears squeezed or #NAME? / #REF! values appear, the source columns are too narrow.

Return to Excel and press Alt + O, then C, then A to auto-fit the columns so no text is truncated.

Highlight the table block again and press Ctrl + C.

Step #29: In Word, click the incorrectly formatted table. — In Word, click the incorrectly formatted table.

Press Alt + E.

Press S and Enter to cleanly re-paste the corrected table.

7. Finalizing Appendix Tables

Once you reach the Appendix pages, any previously hidden tables in Excel must be unhidden and copied over.

Scroll down in the Excel workbook and copy the remaining Warehouse Lender distribution tables.

Step #33: Click on the corresponding legacy Appendix table in Word to select it. — Click on the corresponding legacy Appendix table in Word to select it.

Press Alt + E.

Press S and Enter to paste the final table.

FAQ

Q: Why are there zeros at the bottom of the on-balance sheet tables?

A: They act as an internal checksum to guarantee the ending balance exactly matches the sum of the rows above it. If these are not zero, an error exists in the strat data.

Q: Why do we use Paste Special (Enhanced Metafile) instead of standard paste?

A: Standard pasting transfers HTML or Rich Text, which can break column widths and formatting in Word. Enhanced Metafile pastes it as a scalable vector image, guaranteeing it looks exactly as it does in Excel without losing quality when stretched.

Glossary

Term	Definition
Strat File	A financial data file containing stratified metrics about a loan portfolio.
Enhanced Metafile	A graphic format used in Windows to copy complex objects like Excel tables into Word perfectly.
ABS	Asset-Backed Securities, representing the securitization trust segment of the portfolio.