Unlock the capital
trapped in your branches.
Your members never notice. Your balance sheet does. We structure sale-leaseback transactions for credit unions that own the real estate they operate from, turning long-held equity into immediate, usable capital.
Credit unions have a structural capital problem.
The math has changed. The tools have not kept up.
No stock to issue
Credit unions cannot raise capital the way banks do. Retained earnings, sub debt, and creativity. That is the list.
CECL compressed ratios
New loss-reserve accounting tightened capital. Loan growth, technology spend, and regulatory pressure keep pushing the other direction.
Buildings are the lever
Branch real estate is one of the last untouched sources of capital. Most institutions have not pulled it.
A sale-leaseback, explained without the noise.
Nothing changes for the member. The balance sheet changes for the institution.
Sell the property
The credit union sells the building it owns and operates from to a capital partner we identify and qualify.
Lease it back
A long-term lease is signed at closing. The branch keeps running, the staff stay, the members never notice.
Recognize the gain
Under current accounting rules, the capital gain is recognized immediately. For real estate held for years, this is a meaningful capital event.
Operations unchanged. The branch runs exactly as it did the day before closing. The only difference is on the balance sheet.
The window already moved once. It will move again.
A few years ago, rates were low, real estate values were high, and liquidity was abundant. It was one of the best windows credit unions would ever have to execute a sale-leaseback. Most passed. The economics were unfamiliar. Leadership was not sure what to do with the proceeds.
Then rates climbed. Liquidity dried up. CECL hit. The same institutions started calling back.
Deals that made sense in 2021 look different now. Waiting has a cost, and that cost has a number. We will tell you what it is for your portfolio, even if the answer is to wait.
Two disciplines. One transaction.
Most firms pitching sale-leasebacks understand real estate. They do not understand credit unions. We understand both.
Twenty years inside the credit union industry. Growth strategy, sales execution, executive relationships. Understands how decisions actually get made, where deals get stuck in committee, and what makes a CFO say yes.
One of the most experienced commercial real estate professionals in the region. A track record of structuring and closing complex transactions across asset classes and capital structures.
Transaction by transaction. No theater.
We intend to become a CUSO as the right structure takes shape. Until then, we work one deal at a time and we do not take on what we cannot close.
- Structure the transaction end-to-end
- Identify and qualify capital partners
- Manage the process from term sheet to closing
- Tell you when waiting is the right call
- Brokerage fees for introductions
- Deals we cannot close
- Generic pitches that ignore credit union realities
- CUSO services (yet)
A short list of qualifying conditions.
- 01Owns the real estate the branch operates from
- 02Has held the property long enough to have meaningful equity
- 03Facing capital pressure from CECL, loan growth, technology, or regulation
- 04Serious about solving a capital problem, not just exploring options
If you own your branches,
we should talk.
No pitch deck. No pressure. A direct conversation about whether a sale-leaseback fits your balance sheet and your timeline.