Community Business Lenders

What Community Business Lenders does

Community Business Lenders (CBL) is a commercial lending Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) founded in 2012 and headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. The company is owned by a partnership of more than 40 Iowa credit unions and was built by credit unions, for credit unions, to provide commercial real estate lending expertise that individual member credit unions could not efficiently replicate on their own. CBL serves a two-sided market: Iowa businesses seeking commercial real estate financing (with loans starting at $500,000 for income-generating properties such as apartment buildings, office buildings, retail centers, warehouses, and industrial facilities) and Iowa credit unions seeking to diversify their loan portfolios and increase earning assets through targeted commercial real estate participation opportunities.

CBL operates as a single-line private boutique lender with a deliberately small, experienced team — six identified key staff including CEO Bill Kurtz, Chief Lending Officer Garrett Reynolds, Chief Credit Officer & CIO Justus Harris, Chief Operations Officer Julie Hahn, Senior Vice President Jim Bunn, and AVP Senior Credit Analyst Logan Reisinger. As a private CUSO, CBL is not subject to a regulatory legal lending limit, allowing it to offer loan sizes and structures that regulated single credit unions cannot. The underlying technology stack is built around Microsoft and nCino systems administration capabilities, augmented through partnerships with Pure IT Credit Union Services (credit administration and relationship management integration) and Global Reach (web development).

Revenue is generated through interest and fees on commercial real estate loans and through participation economics with member credit unions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is provided on a quote basis dependent on borrower history, market conditions, and treasury rates. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct contact and the credit union member network as the primary referral channel. The company does not appear to have raised external venture capital or private equity, given its CUSO cooperative ownership structure.

Name

Community Business Lenders

Legal name

Community Business Lenders

Website

https://cblenders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Business Lenders is a Credit Union Service Organization founded in 2012 and owned by 40+ Iowa credit unions, providing commercial real estate loans (starting at $500,000) to Iowa businesses while enabling member credit unions to diversify their loan portfolios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Lending

NAICS

Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate lending
• Credit union services
• Commercial mortgage loans
• Business lending
• Credit union CUSO

Headquarters

HQ city

West Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Lending: CBL provides commercial real estate financing to businesses seeking to buy income-generating properties such as apartment buildings, office buildings, investment properties, and warehouses. Revenue is generated through interest and fees on commercial real estate loans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Community Business Lenders is a commercial lending Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) that provides commercial real estate financing for income-generating properties including multifamily apartments, low-income housing, office buildings, retail spaces, warehouses, and industrial real estate. The company serves both Iowa businesses seeking loans starting at $500,000 and Iowa credit unions seeking to diversify their loan portfolios through participation in commercial lending, backed by over 40 credit union member-owners.

Product overview

Community Business Lenders (CBL) is a commercial lending Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) that operates as a single unified offering focused on commercial real estate lending. The company provides loan financing solutions backed by over 40 Iowa credit unions, serving both borrowers seeking commercial property acquisition and credit unions looking to diversify their loan portfolios. Loans start at $500,000, with no regulatory legal lending limit due to their private boutique lender status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Real Estate Lending Services

Named customers6 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pure IT Credit Union ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationPure IT Credit Union Services partnered with CBL to streamline crucial Credit Administration and Relationship Management systems. CBL and Pure IT participated in a joint webcast (CU Broadcast) to showcase these capabilities.
• Global ReachcoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal Reach partnered with CBL to provide web development services. CBL's website and online presence are powered by Global Reach technology.
• 40+ Iowa Credit UnionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCBL is owned and built by over 40 Iowa credit unions including 1st Gateway Credit Union, 5 Star Community Credit Union, Ascentra Credit Union, Dupaco Community Credit Union, and others. These credit unions provide capital backing and refer borrowers to CBL.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Emerging players

• Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU): Mid-size credit union operating commercial lending programs with member business lending activity. Comparable as a credit union with active commercial real estate and business lending operations, though operates as a single institution rather than a multi-owner CUSO.

Direct peers

• Members Development Company: CUSO providing commercial loan participations, investments, and consulting services to Northwest credit unions. Closely analogous to CBL as a CUSO facilitating commercial real estate and business lending for member credit unions outside their standalone capacity.
• Catalyst Corporate Federal Credit Union: Corporate credit union providing lending, payments, and technology services to over 1,300 member credit unions. Comparable to CBL as a credit-union-owned intermediary that extends commercial lending capabilities beyond what individual credit unions can offer independently.
• Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union: Corporate credit union providing lending, investment, and operational services to member credit unions across the U.S. Directly comparable to CBL as a credit-union-owned entity that supports commercial lending capacity for community credit unions unable to underwrite large loans alone.
• Corporate Central Credit Union: Corporate credit union serving Wisconsin and Midwest credit unions with lending, investment, and correspondent services. Operates a similar CUSO-like model to CBL, providing commercial loan participation and liquidity solutions to member credit unions.

Broad incumbents

• Live Oak Bancshares: Bank holding company focused on small business lending, including commercial real estate, with nationwide digital origination capabilities. Comparable to CBL as a specialist in commercial real estate and small business lending, though at much larger scale and with a different ownership/governance structure.
• Heartland Financial USA (now divested to Truist/CBTS): Multi-state bank holding company with strong Midwest community bank franchise and commercial real estate lending capabilities. Comparable to CBL as a Midwest-focused commercial lender serving businesses and credit unions, though as a regulated commercial bank rather than a CUSO.
• Open Lending: Provider of credit analytics and risk-based pricing for automotive lending to credit unions and banks. Comparable to CBL as a credit union service provider (CUSO-like) offering specialized lending enablement, though focused on indirect auto rather than CRE.
• Ares Commercial Real Estate: Direct commercial real estate lender and mortgage REIT focusing on middle-market CRE loans. Comparable to CBL as a CRE lender targeting middle-market borrowers with similar property type focus (multifamily, office, retail, industrial), though at materially larger institutional scale.
• TruStage (CUNA Mutual): Credit union service organization providing insurance, investment, and lending solutions to credit unions and their members. Comparable to CBL as a CUSO-style organization serving the credit union ecosystem with specialized financial services beyond traditional deposit-taking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Community Business Lenders