🚨Florida SBA is launching a private credit co-investment program to capitalize on real estate debt opportunities. Allocating approximately 75–80% of deal flow into co-investments aims to cut fees and increase control over underwriting. This move introduces substantial capital into CRE credit facilities, potentially compressing loan pricing for high-quality deals and heightening lender competition.
Private Credit Allocations: $7.39 billion (3.49% of total assets)
Total “Active” Credit Portfolio: $10.0 billion
Planned 2026 Deployment: $2.25 billion
Loan Performance: Direct involvement allows SBA to negotiate terms, anticipate risk, and target stable NOI assets, protecting DSCR against volatility.
Demand Dynamics: Increased investment in senior, secured loans could improve absorption rates in core CRE sectors, appealing to credit tenants and reducing concessions.
Asset Strategies: This new capital flow encourages reduced downtime and enhances TI/LC sequencing, while OPEX and capex allocations become more strategic.
Capital Markets: SBA’s direct involvement tightens credit spreads, aligning credit terms with lower fee structures and stabilizing lender market shares.
Rates/growth short line*: Institutional capital steps into CRE debt, pressuring spreads.
Favored assets vs rent-beta: Stabilized real estate assets gain lender favor.
Financing stance: Direct deals always priced competitively; expect co-investment to streamline execution.
Spreads/structure caveat: Anticipate modest spread compression; stabilize deals against volatility.
🛠 Operator’s Lens
Refi: Align with pensions for prepay flexibility, ensuring caps through maturities.
Value-Add: Coordinate capex to leases; manage contingency percentages prudently.
Development: Tighten pro forma sensitivities; consider GC/FF&E timing as market conditions shift.
Lender POV: Expect price adjustments reflecting co-investment risks.
Monitor co-investment frameworks likely to be adopted by other public pensions.
Follow potential CRE participation by SBA in high-quality office loans, if risk-adjusted returns justify.
Track initial success to predict further allocations in CRE debt from large LPs.
SBA — Florida SBA Credit Strategy (2023). Trepp — CMBS Conduit Weekly BBB– Spread Index (Oct 2023).
