The Loan Committee™

Some lines in the federal tax code are so widely used and understood that they have become part of our common speech. Other lines of the tax code, however, remain widely unknown or underutilized, even by those who could benefit from this knowledge the most. The elusive “1031 exchange” is such a provision, with massive potential for real estate professionals but little general knowledge among even the most experienced real estate investors. learn more…  Source: Real Estate 4 Investing

Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter may be old hat for some early-stage startups in Florida if House Bill 275 is approved by state lawmakers.  House Bill 275 would legalize equity crowdfunding — a financial process that allows companies to accept funds from investors in exchange for company stock. The kicker is that potential investors don’t have to be overly wealthy, which opens the pool for more investment capital.  Author:  Matthew Richardson.  Source:  Orlando Business Journal.  Learn more…

Perhaps the most aggressive financing structure (in terms of leverage) available to borrowers is Credit Tenant Lease (“CTL”) financing.  While most traditional financing structures emphasize the value of the real estate (the lenders’ collateral), CTL financing structures are based on the credit of the tenant and the structure of the lease with the real estate value being secondary.  Author: Brandon Wilhite.  Source:  Metropolitan Capital Advisors.  Learn more…

With the regional center program set to expire in September 2015, the EB-5 industry has been given new life in the form of the American Entrepreneurship and Investment Act of 2015. The Act was introduced today by Congressmen Jared Polis (CO-02) and Mark Amodei (NV-02), and is a follow-up to last year’s bill of the same name. The bill would make the regional center program permanent and allow for continued job creation and a more reliable stream of foreign capital. read entire article…  Source:  EB5 Investors

A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a real estate company that offers common shares to the public. In this way, an REIT stock is similar to any other stock that represents ownership in an operating business. But an REIT has two unique features: its primary business is managing groups of income-producing properties and it must distribute most of its profits as dividends. To qualify as an REIT with the IRS, a real estate company must agree to pay out at least 90% of its taxable profit in dividends (and fulfill additional but less important requirements). By having REIT status, a company avoids corporate income tax. A regular corporation makes a profit and pays taxes on its entire profit, and then decides how to allocate its after-tax profits between dividends and reinvestment; an REIT simply distributes all or almost all of its profits and gets to skip the taxation. read entire article… Author:  David Harper.  Source:  Investopedia.

Pompano Beach-based Stonegate Bank’s acquisition of Dania Beach-based Community Bank of Broward was completed last Thursday.  Shareholders of both companies approved the move in mid-December, following an August deal made by Stonegate to purchase Community Bank for $61.2 million. read entire article… Author: Nina Lincoff.  Source:  South Florida Business Journal

An SBA lender has an excellent opportunity to expand its portfolio by acquiring from the FDIC SBA loans originated by a failed bank. These loans may be acquired at a discount and are backed by an SBA guaranty and, possibly, FDIC loss sharing. However, such loans and acquisitions come with risks that lenders should consider carefully before proceeding. read entire article…  Author:  Amy R. Brownstein, Esquire.  Source:  Starfield Smith, PC