Interfirst Capital

What Interfirst Capital does

Interfirst Capital is a privately-held, full-service commercial real estate mortgage banking firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1986 and rebranded to InterFirst Capital in 2009, the firm originates and services commercial mortgage debt across a stated loan size range of $1M to $100M+. Property type coverage spans multifamily, office, retail, industrial, healthcare, self-storage, senior care, student housing, land, and mixed-use assets. Leadership consists of President Foots Parnell and SVP Gil Ferguson, with the firm maintaining active membership in the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The firm's product set addresses the full capital stack: permanent non-recourse debt (5–30 year terms), bridge financing (2–5 years), construction loans (2–3 years), single-tenant and owner-occupied financing, mezzanine debt (carrying rates of 8–15%), preferred equity, and joint venture equity. In parallel, Interfirst provides loan servicing for fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, floating-rate, mezzanine, and bridge loans, producing a recurring fee revenue stream. The firm is a member of Strategic Alliance Mortgage (SAM), a network of 22 privately-owned commercial mortgage firms covering 50 U.S. markets; SAM members have originated more than $150 billion since 2001 and currently service roughly $40 billion, with members closing 1,200+ loans in 2015 alone through 280+ lender relationships.

The business model combines transaction-based origination fees on placed debt with managed-services loan servicing fees, supported by a direct-to-borrower field sales approach. Distribution is augmented materially by SAM affiliation, which provides national market reach and a shared interactive cloud database of real-time lender activity, allowing Interfirst to source and place debt across geographies disproportionate to its sub-10-person operating footprint in Birmingham.

Name

Interfirst Capital

Legal name

InterFirst Capital

Website

https://interfirstcapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Interfirst Capital is a Birmingham, Alabama-based commercial real estate mortgage banking firm that originates $1M–$100M+ debt and equity placements across multifamily, office, retail, industrial, healthcare, and specialty property types, serving middle-market and institutional sponsors nationwide via the SAM network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Mortgage Banking

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Real Estate Credit (522292)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Multifamily Mortgage Brokers (FSALABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Mortgage Brokerage (FSAEAEAB), Debt & Structured Finance / Mortgage Brokerage (BPAJABAK), Debt Capital Raising Intermediation (Private Debt/Mezzanine/Bonds) (FSAEALAM), Multifamily Mortgage Origination (FSALADAB)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate finance
• Mortgage banking services
• Commercial mortgage origination
• Loan servicing
• Commercial real estate lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan Origination: Fees earned from originating commercial real estate mortgages for borrowers. The company originates loans ranging from $1M to $100M+ across various property types including multifamily, office, retail, industrial, self-storage, student housing, senior care, healthcare, and mixed-use properties.
2. Loan Servicing: Ongoing servicing fees for managing loans throughout their term. Services include payment processing, escrow processing, insurance and tax tracking, property inspections, financial analysis, UCC statements, and loan event management for fixed rate, adjustable rate, floating rate, mezzanine, and bridge loans.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

InterFirst Capital originates and services commercial real estate mortgages ranging from $1M to $100M+ across property types including multifamily, office, retail, industrial, self-storage, student housing, senior care, healthcare, and mixed-use. The firm offers permanent financing, bridge financing, construction financing, single-tenant/owner-occupied financing, mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and joint venture equity, plus comprehensive loan servicing for fixed, adjustable, floating, mezzanine, and bridge loans.

Product overview

Interfirst Capital is a privately-owned full-service commercial real estate mortgage banking firm offering a comprehensive suite of financing products and loan servicing. The core products include Permanent Financing, Bridge Financing, Construction Financing, Single-Tenant/Owner-Occupied Financing, Mezzanine Debt, Preferred Equity, and Joint Venture Equity. These financing products serve borrowers seeking capital ranging from $1M to $100M+ across asset types including multifamily, office, retail, industrial, self-storage, student housing, senior care, healthcare, and mixed-use properties. The company also provides loan servicing for fixed rate, adjustable rate, floating rate, mezzanine, and bridge loans. Interfirst Capital is affiliated with Strategic Alliance Mortgage (SAM), a nationwide network of 22 mortgage banking firms that share lender activity and market intelligence through an interactive cloud database.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Financing Non-recourse permanent debt with 5-30 year terms and 10-30 year amortization, fixed or floating rates, targeted at stabilized properties with moderate leverage (less than 75% LTV) and strong borrower track records.
• Bridge Financing Short-term non-recourse transitional financing with 2-5 year terms for properties with high vacancy, known vacates, or significant capital improvement needs. Lenders can fund 70-90% of the capital stack including future dollars for improvements.
• Construction Financing Construction loans with 2-3 year duration, interest rate spreads over short-term indices (typically 1-month Libor), including construction-to-permanent programs from select life insurance companies.
• Single-Tenant / Owner-Occupied Financing Financing based on tenant credit strength, requiring long-term leases and investment grade credit (BBB- or higher); some programs available for owner-occupied buildings and non-credit tenants.
• Mezzanine Debt Subordinate capital positioned between senior debt and equity, secured by the borrowing entity's interest in the real estate, with interest rates ranging from 8% to 15%, allowing borrowers to bridge the capital stack up to 90%.
• Preferred Equity Equity capital arranged through life insurance companies, institutional investors, and private capital clients with priority interest and return thresholds ahead of sponsor cash flow participation.
• Joint Venture Equity Institutional joint venture equity arrangements for commercial real estate development projects and acquisitions, with structures varying by asset type, risk profile, and location.
• Loan Servicing Comprehensive loan servicing including payment processing, escrow processing, real estate tracking and verification, insurance and tax tracking, property inspections, financial analysis, UCC statements, and loan events management for fixed, adjustable, floating, mezzanine, and bridge loans.
• Property Type Financing Commercial real estate financing across multiple property types including Healthcare, Industrial, Land, Mixed Use, Multifamily, Note Financing, Office, Retail, Self Storage, Senior Care, and Student Housing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $150 billion in originations since 2001 through SAM network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strategic Alliance Mortgage, LLC (SAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001InterFirst Capital is a proud partner in SAM, a nationwide network of 22 privately owned commercial mortgage firms. SAM provides the ability to finance the entire capital stack while expanding market knowledge beyond the Southeast to every market across the country. SAM members share real-time market intelligence via a sophisticated interactive cloud database, ensuring constant access to the most active lenders with the most aggressive loan-to-values, terms, rates, amortizations, and overall structures. SAM members have originated over $150 billion since 2001 and currently service $40 billion in loans.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• JLL Capital Markets: Investment sales, equity placement, debt placement, and advisory across CRE globally — broader incumbent with a CRE debt origination practice that directly competes with InterFirst for institutional borrower mandates.
• Newmark Group: Full-service CRE services firm with active debt and structured finance capital markets practice — comparable to InterFirst on CRE debt origination, but operates at much greater scale and breadth.
• Eastdil Secured: Leading CRE investment bank with deep relationships to life insurance companies and CMBS lenders — comparable lender-intermediary role to InterFirst on large, complex CRE debt placements.
• CBRE Capital Markets: Global CRE services giant with dedicated debt and structured finance origination arm — competes with InterFirst in arranging CRE loans for large borrowers, though it operates a much broader suite of services.
• HFF (now part of JLL): Legacy CRE debt and equity intermediary brand now integrated into JLL Capital Markets — historically the closest large-scale analog to a SAM-style commercial mortgage banking network.

Direct peers

• Walker & Dunlop: Large publicly traded commercial mortgage banking firm originating and servicing CRE debt across multifamily and other property types — directly comparable to InterFirst's origination-plus-servicing model, but at much greater scale.
• Grandbridge Real Estate Capital: Commercial mortgage banking and real estate investment services firm originating debt and equity for CRE — directly comparable origination plus full-service offering to InterFirst.
• Meridian Capital Group: Privately held commercial mortgage broker arranging debt for multifamily and CRE properties nationwide — same broker/intermediary business model as InterFirst, with similar reliance on lender relationships across the capital stack.
• Berkadia: Joint venture of Berkshire Hathaway and Leucadia focused on commercial mortgage banking, servicing, and equity — competes head-to-head with InterFirst/SAM on CRE loan origination across property types including multifamily, office, and retail.
• Northmarq: Privately held commercial mortgage banking firm with a multi-office regional model — closely comparable structure to InterFirst Capital: private, relationship-led, and focused on CRE debt placement across property types.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interfirst-capital-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Interfirst Capital