What The Clawson Group does

The Clawson Group is a privately held commercial mortgage lending company headquartered in Draper, Utah (Salt Lake City metropolitan area), operating continuously since 1979. The firm arranges financing for income-producing commercial real estate, acting as an intermediary between borrowers seeking capital and a curated network of institutional lenders. Its core service covers the full loan lifecycle: origination, underwriting, processing, closing, and servicing. Loan production is handled by a small team of loan officers, processors, closers, and servicing personnel, with the firm operating as a traditional relationship-based mortgage banking business rather than a technology platform — no proprietary software, APIs, or digital channels are disclosed. Marketing is limited to a basic Facebook and Twitter presence, and distribution is conducted through direct borrower relationships managed by the loan officer team.

The firm's revenue model is transaction-based: fees are earned on loan origination and placement with correspondent capital providers, which include 25+ life insurance companies (Aegon USA, John Hancock Real Estate, Principal Mutual, Protective Life, State Farm Life, and others), banks, pension funds, and CMBS products. Product coverage spans office buildings (multi and single tenant), retail, industrial, multi-family, self-storage, hotel, and special-use properties. The customer base is horizontally diversified across these asset classes and across the Intermountain West region and other states. Capital allocation and deal sourcing rely entirely on established correspondent relationships and individual borrower referrals rather than any automated matching or underwriting technology.

The company is family-owned across three generations: founder John A. Clawson and his son JR A. Clawson, Jr. established the firm in 1979, with JR serving as primary principal from 1991 and co-owner from 1996 onward. JR remains Chairman of the Board and active in loan production. John ("Johnny") A. Clawson III joined in 1997, became President and CEO in 2006, and is the firm's top producer. Executive Director Trent Snarr adds capital markets expertise from prior roles at CBRE's Debt & Structured Finance team and CIBC World Markets Real Estate Finance Group. Leadership holds CCIM designations, and the firm has received CCIM Commercial Real Estate Banker of the Year and Lender of the Year recognition multiple times between 2012 and 2017.

Name

The Clawson Group

Legal name

The Clawson Group, Inc.

Website

https://www.theclawsongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Clawson Group is a privately held, family-owned commercial mortgage lender founded in 1979 in Draper, Utah, that arranges financing for income-producing commercial real estate borrowers by placing loans with a network of life insurance companies, banks, pension funds, and CMBS products across the Intermountain West and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Draper

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Commercial Mortgage Lending: The Clawson Group generates revenue by arranging commercial real estate loans for borrowers. The company places loan products with a select network of life insurance companies, banks, pension funds, and CMBS products. Revenue is earned through loan origination and placement fees from matching borrowers with appropriate lenders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Clawson Group is a commercial mortgage lender that arranges financing for income-producing commercial real estate, including office, retail, industrial, multi-family, and self-storage properties. The firm originates loans on behalf of borrowers and places them with a select network of life insurance companies, banks, pension funds, and CMBS products, providing end-to-end services from origination through underwriting, processing, closing, and loan servicing.

Product overview

The Clawson Group operates as a commercial mortgage lending company offering a unified suite of financing services. The core product is Commercial Mortgage Lending Services, which encompasses loan origination, underwriting, processing, closing, and servicing. The company places loans with multiple capital sources including Life Insurance Companies (such as Aegon USA, John Hancock Real Estate, Principal Mutual), CMBS Products, Banks, and Pension Funds. Product types include financing for Office Buildings (Multi and Single Tenant), Retail, Industrial, Multi-Family, and Self-Storage properties. The company tailors financing packages to meet the specific requirements of each property while providing investment opportunities to its broad base of lenders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Mortgage Lending Services End-to-end commercial mortgage lending for income-producing commercial real estate, encompassing loan origination, underwriting, processing, closing, and loan servicing for property types including office buildings (multi and single tenant), retail, industrial, multi-family, and self-storage. Intended for commercial real estate owners and developers.
• Life Insurance Company Loan Products Commercial real estate loan products placed with a select group of Life Insurance Companies including Aegon USA, American Equity Life, American Family Life, American National Life, Ameritas Life, Assurity Security Group Life, Aviva Life, Baltimore Life, Boston Mutual Life, Columbian Mutual Life, EquiTrust Life, Farm Bureau Life, Guggenheim, John Hancock Real Estate, Lafayette Life, National Life, One America, Principal Mutual, Protective Life, Royal Neighbors, Security Mutual Life, State Farm Life, Thrivent Financial, and United Farm Family Life. Intended for commercial real estate borrowers seeking financing through insurance company balance-sheet lenders.
• CMBS Loan Products Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) loan products offered through the company's network of capital sources for commercial real estate financing transactions.
• Bank and Pension Fund Financing Commercial real estate financing products sourced from banks and pension funds through the company's correspondent lending relationships, arranged on behalf of commercial real estate borrowers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Very high closing rate of exceptional loans

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Walker & Dunlop: Publicly traded commercial mortgage banker originating multifamily and CRE loans via a national capital network. Closest comparable to The Clawson Group in business model — originates then places with institutional capital — but at vastly greater scale.
• NorthMarq Capital: Privately held commercial mortgage banker arranging debt for income-producing real estate through a national network of correspondent lenders, including life insurance companies. Directly comparable in correspondent-based loan placement model.
• Berkadia: Berkshire Hathaway-affiliated commercial mortgage banker and servicer with deep life insurance company and CMBS capital relationships. Mirrors The Clawson Group's institutional-capital sourcing and servicing capabilities.
• Grandbridge Real Estate Capital: Commercial mortgage banking firm arranging permanent, bridge, and construction loans with strong life insurance company correspondent relationships. Directly comparable mid-sized correspondent lender profile.

Broad incumbents

• CBRE Capital Markets / Debt & Structured Finance: Global CRE services giant with institutional debt placement and origination capabilities. Overlaps with The Clawson Group in commercial mortgage origination but as part of a much broader services portfolio.
• JLL Capital Markets: Global CRE investment sales and debt placement arm of Jones Lang LaSalle. Competes with The Clawson Group for commercial mortgage origination mandates, especially on larger, more complex deals.
• Newmark Group: Publicly traded CRE services firm with capital markets/debt origination capabilities. Adjacent competitor offering similar commercial mortgage placement services within a much broader investment sales and advisory franchise.
• Eastdil Secured: Privately held CRE capital markets advisor handling large debt and equity placements. Competes with The Clawson Group in commercial mortgage origination but at the upper end of deal size and complexity.
• HFF (now part of JLL): Historic commercial mortgage banking franchise absorbed into JLL. Referenced as a legacy comparable for relationship-based CRE debt placement at scale — now part of JLL Capital Markets.

Regional players

• Dougherty Mortgage LLC: Mid-sized commercial mortgage banker with institutional lender correspondents and focus on multifamily and CRE financing. Similar relationship-based model but broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theclawsongroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clawson-group-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Clawson Group