CLEARWATER, FL - Bison Financial Group, Inc., a mortgage brokerage business based here announces the closing of a $504,000 loan to refinance a freestanding 3,400 square foot bank building located as an outparcel to a Publix anchored shopping center in Winter Park, Florida. The loan was placed with a Florida community bank and the borrower was an Orlando real estate developer. The proceeds of the loan were used to retire the owner's line of credit used to purchase and renovate the property.

"This deal showed the persistence of the Bison team", said Jared Repka, one of the founders of Bison Financial Group. "When we first started working on this transaction in the fall of 2000 we quickly had the deal placed with one of the world's largest finance companies. Some turbulence arose during the underwriting process as the lender was more focused on the financial capabilities of the tenant rather than the intrinsic quality and value of the real estate and the track record of the borrower. We pulled the package from this giant institution and brought the deal to a community bank that was able to apply common sense, fundamental underwriting principals to determine the value of the property and associated risks. The transaction closed quickly and efficiently from that point forward."

Bison Financial Group, Inc. helps real estate entrepreneurs buy, sell and finance income producing properties and has closed approximately $200 million in transactions since 1994.