ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - Bison Financial Group, Inc., a real estate advisory firm based here announces the closing of a $665,000 bridge loan to acquire the local, neighborhood shop space of a retail shopping center located in St. Petersburg, Florida anchored by a Winn-Dixie grocery store. The Winn-Dixie is owned separately and is not part of the lender's collateral. The lender was a community bank that Bison has placed multiple loans with since 1997.

Bison represented the borrower, a California investment group that acquired the property using proceeds from a complicated 1031 exchange involving multiple partnership entities. "We are very proud to have successfully closed another loan here in beautiful St. Petersburg", said Jared Repka, one of the principals of Bison and St. Pete local, "Since so many of our closed transactions are on assets all over the country it's nice to be able to close a loan in our own backyard at a location that is the gateway to the renaissance going on in Downtown St. Pete." The non-recourse loan was structured with a 5-year term and an initial interest rate of 6.25%. Tenants at the property are a mix of national and local tenants including: Domino's Pizza, Hong Kong Buffet, J&K Beauty Supply, Finest Seafood and others.

Bison works with investors and developers nationwide that invest in multi-tenant income producing properties and freestanding, single tenant facilities leased to credit tenants. Bison has an array of unique and dependable sources of private and institutional capital willing and able to lend on properties in all shapes, sizes, conditions and locations. Bison has closed complex loans on commercial real estate in as little as 11 business days.