2023 was a year marred by obstacles for borrowing across commercial real estate, particularly after a widespread crisis shook regional banks that are historically the biggest lenders in the space. Peachtree CEO Greg Friedman spoke with Hotel News Now about his prediction for 2024.
Insights Into the Lending Environment From Peachtree's Greg Friedman (costar.com)
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ATLANTA (April 3, 2025) – Peachtree Group (“Peachtree”) ranked as the eighth-largest investor-driven commercial real estate lender in the U.S., according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) 2024 loan origination rankings. In 2024, Peachtree deployed approximately $1.6 billion in commercial real estate credit investments.
“With a substantial volume of maturities on the horizon and trillions in debt coming due through 2028, the current environment increasingly favors private credit lenders like Peachtree,” said Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree. “We’re well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities and help close the funding gap left by traditional capital sources.”
The MBA also ranked Peachtree as the seventh-largest U.S. commercial real estate hotel lender, marking its fourth consecutive year in the top ten. The firm also earned rankings across the office, multifamily, retail and industrial sectors.
“The hospitality sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, driven by strong demand fundamentals,” said Michael Harper, president of hotel lending at Peachtree. “We remain committed to supporting owners and operators with expansion, renovation and refinancing needs—leveraging our strategic capital deployment and adaptability to drive long-term value.”
Amid ongoing market volatility, Peachtree deployed nearly $500 million in credit transactions during the 2025 first quarter and is on track to exceed its 2024 production targets. Notable originations this year include:
· $59.0 million bridge loan – AC / Element Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
· $51.5 million bridge loan and Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing – Reserve at Vinedo, Paso Robles, Calif.
· $48.3 million bridge loan and CPACE financing – Yorkshire Apartments, Tumwater (Olympia), Wash.
· $43.0 million bridge loan – Home2 Suites / Tru Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
· $42.8 million bridge loan – The Jax Apartments, Monroe, Ga
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“Our fourth consecutive top 10 year underscores the strength of our credit platform and our ability to lend through business cycles. These results reflect our reputation for reliability and delivering certainty of execution, even in the most volatile of market conditions,” Harper added.
As a direct commercial real estate lender, Peachtree offers a full suite of financing solutions, including permanent loans, bridge loans, mezzanine financing, CPACE (Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy) loans and preferred equity investments. The firm further expanded its capabilities last year by launching a Triple Net Lease (NNN) financing program to better support sponsors.
Peachtree reaffirmed its position as a leader in CPACE financing in 2024, setting a firm record with 22 transactions totaling $316.6 million. The CPACE team also recently surpassed $1 billion in total transaction volume—an achievement few in the lending industry can claim—further solidifying Peachtree’s success in expanding its lending platform and providing innovative financing solutions.
MBA's annual originations rankings report is a comprehensive set of listings of 149 commercial/multifamily mortgage originators, their 2024 volumes and their different roles.
Commercial Observer - Grandview Companies has secured a $63 million financing package for the development of a multifamily development in Western Washington, Commercial Observer has learned.
Peachtree Group originated a $28.3 million, 26-month first mortgage and 30-year $17 million Commercial Property Accessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) loan for the developers’ planned 280-unit Yorkshire Apartments project in Tumwater, Wash. Hickory CRE Lending also provided a $17.7 million mezzanine loan as part of the transaction, which was brokered by Zack Goodwin, managing partner at CapNorth.
Peachtree Group originated a $43.0MM recapitalization of the 218-room dual-branded Home2 Suites/Tru Fort Lauderdale Downtown. The floating-rate note carries a 36-month term with two extensions. The sponsor, Driftwood Capital, acquired the site in 2016 and developed the hotels, which opened in November 2020.
The dual-branded hotels (315 NW 1st Avenue) are in Fort Lauderdale's Flagler Village submarket, near key corporate and leisure demand drivers. Fort Lauderdale benefits from strong long-term fundamentals, bolstered by Florida’s position as the nation’s leader in net income migration. Downtown Fort Lauderdale has experienced significant growth, with a 35.4% population increase from 2020 to 2023. The area is home to approximately 200 company headquarters and is well-positioned for the continued return to office, with more than 70% of office workers back—20 percentage points above the national average. Key demand drivers include the Broward County Convention Center, which is expanding to become the nation’s sixth largest, and Port Everglades, one of the world's busiest cruise ports. These factors, combined with the region’s economic resilience, make Fort Lauderdale a compelling market.
With limited new supply and growing demand, Fort Lauderdale's market dynamics favor ADR growth. Expansion of the convention center, increasing cruise port activity, and strong economic fundamentals further support sustained demand.
