What C-Loans does

C-Loans, Inc. is a privately held Sacramento-based commercial mortgage loan marketplace operating since 1999 (with an effective corporate date of 1990). Its core product is a web-based portal that allows commercial real estate borrowers and brokers to submit a single loan application in approximately four minutes and have it matched against a proprietary database of more than 750 commercial lenders, including banks, life insurance companies, CMBS conduits, REITs, credit unions, SBA lenders, USDA B&I lenders, and private/hard money lenders. The matching engine identifies 20-30 suitable lenders per request, surfaces 'hungry' lenders most likely to close, and enables single-click submission to six matched lenders at a time; borrowers and brokers can self-disclose 'special issues' (vacancy, bankruptcy, balloon risk, credit history) for routing to forgiving lenders.

The platform was built at a stated development cost of approximately $2.2 million and operates alongside the affiliated Blackburne & Sons Realty Capital Corporation (38 years in commercial mortgage origination with a $50 million+ servicing portfolio). C-Loans is free for borrowers and brokers to use; revenue comes from contingent software licensing fees of 25-50 basis points paid by lenders upon loan closing, supplemented by lead purchase fees ($1-$9 per lead plus 37.5 bps at closing), broker training courses ($30-$549), and referral fees (up to 20% of net loan fees). Since inception the platform has facilitated over 1,000 closed loans and more than $1 billion in aggregate volume across multifamily, office, industrial, retail, hospitality, and assisted living property types.

Name

C-Loans

Legal name

C-Loans, Inc.

Website

https://c-loans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

C-Loans is a privately held Sacramento-based web portal that matches commercial real estate borrowers and brokers with a network of 750+ commercial lenders, earning contingent licensing fees of 25-50 basis points on closed loans and supplemental revenue from lead sales, broker training, and referral fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Mortgage Lending Platform

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

CRE Loan Syndication & Participation (FSALADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Debt & Capital Advisory (Debt Raising, Refinancing, Private Credit) (BPAHAOAD), Construction & Development (C&D) Lending — Commercial/Multifamily (FSALADAH)

Keywords

• Commercial mortgage lending
• Lender matching platform
• Loan origination software
• Commercial real estate financing
• Commercial mortgage broker training

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Lender Software Licensing Fees: C-Loans charges participating commercial lenders a contingent software licensing fee when a loan closes through the platform. The fee is 37.5 basis points (0.375%) for most lenders, or 25 basis points for loans exceeding $5 million from banks, S&Ls, life companies, REITs, credit unions, or CMBS lenders. Subprime lenders pay 50 basis points. No upfront fees are charged to lenders or borrowers—fees are only due upon loan closing.
2. Lead Purchase Program: Mortgage brokers can purchase commercial loan leads for $1 to $9 each, plus 37.5 basis points at closing. This provides an additional revenue stream from brokers seeking pre-qualified loan opportunities.
3. Training Course Sales: C-Loans offers commercial mortgage broker training courses. The 'Practice of Commercial Mortgage Brokerage' course is priced at $30 (reduced from $199), and the 'Learn to Broker Commercial Loans' course is priced at $549. Additional training products include $199 commercial mortgage marketing manuals and $199 fee agreement courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

C-Loans is a vendor-neutral online commercial mortgage lender-matching platform that connects commercial real estate borrowers with more than 750 participating commercial lenders (banks, life insurance companies, REITs, and private lenders). The company monetizes primarily by licensing its origination and matching software to lenders on a per-deal/per-transaction basis, with adjacent revenue from training programs for aspiring commercial mortgage brokers and lead-buying programs for SBA loan leads.

Product overview

C-Loans is a commercial mortgage loan portal platform that operates as a single unified product with multiple integrated modules. The core C-Loans Commercial Mortgage Portal connects borrowers and mortgage brokers with 750 commercial lenders through a proprietary matching system. The platform is offered free to borrowers and brokers, with revenue generated from lenders who pay software licensing fees (25-50 basis points) upon loan closings. Supplementary modules include SBA Loan Leads (free leads for banks), Commercial Mortgage Broker Training (a $30 online course), Lead Buying Program (for purchasing commercial loan leads), Commercial Loan Calculator, Loan Servicing Software, and a Referral Fee Program. The system was developed at a cost of $2.2 million and has facilitated over 1,000 commercial real estate loans totaling over $1 billion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• C-Loans Commercial Mortgage Portal Vendor-neutral online portal that routes commercial real estate borrower submissions to 750+ participating commercial lenders (banks, life insurance companies, REITs, private lenders). Lender participation is gated by application and approval, and lenders license the platform on a per-transaction basis when a deal closes. The portal also embeds loan servicing functionality that participating lenders can use in place of legacy servicing software.
• SBA Loan Leads Targeted SBA loan lead product distributed to lenders and brokers via the platform's lead-buying program, covering SBA 7(a), SBA 504, and similar small-business commercial loan opportunities.
• Banks and Direct Lenders Program Onboarding and licensing track for bank and direct commercial lenders, allowing them to register their lending appetite, receive automated email alerts when matching deals enter the portal, and license closed-loan submissions through C-Loans.
• Lead Buying Program Program enabling commercial lenders and brokers to purchase SBA and conventional commercial loan leads generated through the C-Loans portal, structured as a paid lead-buying arrangement.
• Commercial Mortgage Broker Training Program End-to-end training program that teaches individuals how to originate commercial mortgage loans as brokers, with structured coursework and bundled access to the C-Loans origination platform.
• Learn to Broker Commercial Loans (Course) Self-paced online training course priced at $549 that teaches the fundamentals of becoming a commercial mortgage broker, including deal sourcing, lender relationships, and use of the C-Loans platform.
• Practice of Commercial Mortgage Brokerage (Course) Specialty training course priced at $30 covering the day-to-day practice of running a commercial mortgage brokerage, positioned as an add-on to the entry-level training.
• Referral Fee Program Revenue-share program in which C-Loans distributes borrower leads to commercial mortgage brokers; brokers pay a referral fee back to C-Loans when a referred lead closes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 commercial real estate loans totaling over $1 billion have been closed through the C-Loans platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blackburne & Sons Realty Capital CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackburne & Sons Realty Capital is the sister company of C-Loans, founded by George Blackburne III, Esq. The company has been in business for over 38 years and services a $50 million+ portfolio of commercial loans. Blackburne & Sons serves as both a lender on the C-Loans platform and provides operational support, training content, and industry expertise. The company is owned by an attorney with 43+ years of commercial mortgage experience. C-Loans is positioned as a software platform while Blackburne & Sons conducts direct lending operations.
• Blackburne & Brown Equity Mortgage CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn affiliated company within the Blackburne family of companies. Referenced in the Terms of Use as a related entity that may solicit customers for future business. Less prominent than Blackburne & Sons but part of the broader operational ecosystem.
• 750 Commercial Lenders (Banks, Life Companies, REITs, Hard Money Lenders)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 750 commercial mortgage lenders participate in the C-Loans network, including banks, life insurance companies, CMBS conduits, REITs, credit unions, SBA lenders, USDA lenders, and hard money/private lenders. These lenders pay contingent software licensing fees (25-50 bps) only when loans close. The network includes 250+ SBA lenders, 125+ USDA B&I lenders, and 300+ bridge/hard money lenders. Top-performing lenders receive priority placement on the Suggested Lender List.
• North Avenue CapitalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSBA lender that closed a $9.5 million loan through C-Loans. Bo Weathersbee of North Avenue Capital represents the type of active SBA lenders on the platform. This partnership demonstrates C-Loans' ability to facilitate large SBA commercial loans.
• Madison One CapitalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial lender whose loan officer Jason Bengert has closed 42+ loans through C-Loans, making him one of the top closers on the platform. Represents the success path for dedicated C-Loans lenders who actively work leads.
• Google AdsenseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle Adsense is used for displaying advertisements on the C-Loans website. While C-Loans relies primarily on organic SEO, Google Adsense provides supplementary advertising revenue from display ads shown to website visitors.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LendingTree: LendingTree is the largest online loan marketplace, connecting consumers with multiple lenders across mortgage, personal, business, and commercial loans. While primarily residential-focused, it has business and commercial loan verticals that overlap with C-Loans' matching model, and its freemium/lender-paid model is structurally similar.
• Brex: Brex is a fintech providing commercial credit cards, lending, and business banking to SMBs and startups. While Brex lends on its own balance sheet rather than brokering, it competes for the same commercial borrower mindshare and represents a potential substitute for traditional CRE/SMB loan sourcing that C-Loans facilitates.
• Funding Circle US: Funding Circle operates an online SMB lending marketplace in the US (now in runoff), historically matching small businesses with multiple institutional lenders. It represents a more institutional-grade, technology-forward peer to C-Loans' SMB/commercial lending marketplace model.

Direct peers

• Biz2Credit: Biz2Credit is an online small business lending marketplace that matches borrowers with banks and alternative lenders, with significant SBA loan focus. It shares C-Loans' core model of routing commercial loan requests to multiple lenders, with revenue earned from lender fees on funded deals.
• Fundera: Fundera (owned by NerdWallet) is a small business loan marketplace connecting borrowers with multiple lenders for SBA, term loans, and lines of credit. Its technology-forward marketplace model and lender-paid fee structure mirror C-Loans' approach in the commercial/SMB lending space.
• Lendio: Lendio operates an online small business loan marketplace connecting borrowers with 75+ lenders across SBA loans, lines of credit, and commercial financing. Like C-Loans, Lendio charges lenders fees on funded loans and is free for borrowers, with similar marketplace matching mechanics serving overlapping SMB/commercial borrower segments.
• Money360: Money360 is a commercial real estate lending marketplace and direct lender, connecting borrowers with capital sources for CRE loans including bridge, permanent, and construction financing. It overlaps directly with C-Loans' CRE loan matching focus and serves the same commercial property borrower base.

Emerging players

• SmartBiz: SmartBiz is an online SBA loan marketplace focused exclusively on SBA 7(a) and SBA Express loans, matching small businesses with participating banks. Its SBA-focused marketplace approach and lender-paid model overlap with the 250+ SBA lender vertical of C-Loans.
• Credibly: Credibly provides working capital and small business loans through a marketplace and direct lending model, including SBA and MCA products. It competes in the same SMB/commercial borrower space as C-Loans, with a focus on borrowers who need faster, alternative financing options.
• Arbor (CrowdStreet): CrowdStreet operates an online commercial real estate investment and lending platform. While more investment-oriented, it touches the same CRE capital sourcing ecosystem and addresses similar commercial real estate borrowers and intermediaries as C-Loans.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/C-Loans-Inc-139506446094678
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c-loans-incorporated

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C-Loans