How We Run a Life Company Placement

1. 1

   Step 1: Underwrite the opportunity before the market sees it

   We review sponsorship depth, property performance, lease rollover, and the business plan before approaching any desk. A life company underwriter will do this in the first week anyway; doing it first means the deal is presented in the strongest honest frame, and weak angles are fixed or priced before they become re-trade ammunition.

   Structure before pricing: leverage, recourse, reserves, prepayment, and closing certainty can matter as much as the headline coupon. We test those trade-offs before recommending a path.

2. 2

   Step 2: Target the desks with live appetite

   Our access runs two channels: direct open-market desks that accept broker submissions from us, and correspondent programs where our mortgage-banking relationships carry program pricing. Appetite is deal-by-deal: the desk that quotes tightest on a Class A industrial portfolio may not quote at all on a special-use creative office asset.

   We match the transaction to lenders whose current appetite fits the property, market, and structure. For $5M to $20M stabilized and special-use assets, especially in California, that often means Symetra, our proven repeat relationship. For $25M+ institutional product in primary markets, the national desks come into play. Full program parameters sit in the lender table on the life company hub.

3. 3

   Step 3: Create a comparable field

   We do not deliver the first term sheet. Proposals are evaluated across rate, proceeds, recourse carve-outs, reserves, prepayment structure, and closing certainty, and you see the comparison. A well-run process creates real choices for the borrower.

   Comparison point	What we pressure-test
   Rate & spread	Spread over the matching-term Treasury, not just the all-in number quoted on the day
   Proceeds	Loan amount actually offered vs. the amount requested, and future-funding or earn-out options
   Recourse	Carve-out definitions and guaranty scope, which vary desk to desk even at non-recourse shops
   Prepayment	Lockout + defeasance vs. yield maintenance vs. declining penalty, modeled over your actual hold period
   Closing certainty	In-house vs. third-party appraisal, committee structure, and the desk's recent funding record

4. 4

   Step 4: Manage diligence through closing

   We coordinate lender diligence, third-party reports, and issue resolution until the loan funds. Life company timelines typically run 60 to 90 days from application to funding; the documentation checklist and week-by-week breakdown are in our qualification guide.

5. 5

   Step 5: Weekly updates while it is in flight

   Every placement in process gets a standing weekly update: where the loan is, what the desk asked for last, what is due this week, and any pricing or structure movement. You should never have to call us to find out where your deal stands.

Frequently asked questions