Commercial real estate loans in California come from three main sources: the state's unusually deep bench of California-headquartered commercial banks (Farmers & Merchants, Preferred Bank, Hanmi, Cathay, East West, Citizens Business Bank, Tri Counties), regional banks with documented California programs (Banner Bank), and California-based private and bridge lenders (Lone Oak Fund, Arixa, Parkview Financial, Wilshire Quinn, Redwood Mortgage). This guide covers what's available, eight banks and five private lenders genuinely active in the state, and the underwriting quirk every California buyer has to model: Proposition 13 reassessment.
Commercial Real Estate Loans in California: What's Available
California borrowers have access to the full menu — our primer on the six types of commercial real estate loans covers the categories in depth:
- Permanent and mini-perm loans on stabilized property. Several California banks publish real structures: Preferred Bank's mini-perms typically carry 25-year amortization with five-to-seven-year maturities; Hanmi writes CRE loans up to $75 million with terms up to 7 years over 25-year amortization.
- Construction loans — from community banks funding local projects to East West Bank's specialized adaptive-reuse and affordable-housing platform, which has funded over $1 billion across roughly 100 affordable projects.
- Bridge loans from banks and from California's large private-lender market — see our guide to commercial bridge lenders for how to evaluate them.
- SBA 7(a) and 504 loans for owner-occupied property — Farmers & Merchants is an SBA Preferred Lender, and Preferred Bank, Hanmi, Cathay, East West, and Citizens Business Bank all offer SBA programs.
- Mezzanine and preferred equity from private shops when the senior loan doesn't complete the stack.
The California-specific underwriting item: Proposition 13 reassessment. A change in ownership triggers reassessment to fair market value as of the transfer date, with supplemental assessments taking effect immediately — so your post-closing property taxes must be modeled off your purchase price, not the seller's often much lower assessed value, per the California State Board of Equalization. Lenders underwriting your DSCR will do exactly that, and a seller's tax line can understate your real expense load by a wide margin on long-held assets. (Since 2021, commercial property also gets no intergenerational transfer exclusion — even family transfers reassess.)
One consolidation note: California banking M&A is active — Pacific Premier Bank, long a fixture on lists like this, was acquired by Columbia Banking System in September 2025 and now operates under the Columbia brand. Always confirm a lender's current status before anchoring a relationship.
8 Best Banks in California for Commercial Real Estate Loans
1. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach
Founded in 1907 and headquartered in Long Beach, F&M operates 27 branches across Orange County, Long Beach, the South Bay, and Santa Barbara. It lends on commercial real estate purchase, refinance, and construction — office, retail centers, medical facilities, and investment property — with local decision-making, and it's an SBA Preferred Lender whose expedited process funds loans faster than non-preferred lenders. A century-old, still-independent community bank (OTC: FMBL). Source: fmb.com
2. Preferred Bank
Downtown Los Angeles-headquartered Preferred Bank (NASDAQ: PFBC) is one of the larger independent commercial banks headquartered in California, with over $7 billion in assets and a deliberate CRE concentration. Its published mini-perm structure — monthly payments on 25-year amortization with five-to-seven-year maturities — covers apartment buildings, shopping centers, office and medical buildings, and industrial/warehouse, alongside construction lending from apartments and condos to retail and industrial. SBA lending is also offered. Source: preferredbank.com
3. Hanmi Bank
Los Angeles-headquartered Hanmi Bank, founded in 1982 in Koreatown, runs commercial lending offices across Los Angeles, Orange County, Northern California, and San Diego, plus loan production offices nationally. Its published CRE program is unusually transparent for its size: loans up to $75 million, terms up to 7 years over 25-year amortization, fixed or variable — and construction loans also up to $75 million with terms up to 24 months. Multifamily (5+ units) is a core product, and SBA lending is offered. Source: hanmi.com
4. Cathay Bank
Los Angeles-headquartered Cathay Bank (NASDAQ: CATY) is a direct CRE and construction lender with specialized teams in California and eight other states, covering apartment complexes, retail centers, light industrial, office, mixed-use, and hotels/motels. Its published guidance notes commercial down payments ranging from 10% to 50% with repayment terms of five to 25 years, and it offers SBA programs including 504. Source: cathaybank.com
5. East West Bank
Pasadena-headquartered East West Bank writes construction, bridge, and mini-perm financing for commercial and multifamily property throughout California, with a distinctive specialty: adaptive reuse and affordable housing. Its community lending team has funded over $1 billion across approximately 100 affordable housing projects totaling more than 15,000 units. If your California deal has an affordability component, this is a differentiated counterparty. Source: eastwestbank.com
6. Citizens Business Bank
Ontario, California-headquartered Citizens Business Bank (CVB Financial Corp) concentrates its branch network in Southern and Central California, lending on medical offices, manufacturing facilities, and multifamily, with 1031-exchange financing and commercial refinancing programs — plus SBA options. A relationship bank for the state's owner-operator and middle-market crowd. Source: cbbank.com
7. Tri Counties Bank
Chico-based Tri Counties Bank has served California communities for 50 years and holds nearly $10 billion in assets, with commercial banking centers from the North Bay (San Rafael) through Modesto down to the San Diego area (Carlsbad). It finances purchasing, renovating, and refinancing across office, industrial, retail, special-purpose, and multifamily property. For deals in Northern California and Central Valley markets the money-center banks under-serve, it's a natural call. Source: tcbk.com
8. Banner Bank
Banner Bank is headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington — it earns its place here through a documented California program, with multifamily permanent lending covering major western-US metros explicitly including California and a dedicated Southern California CRE team. Published structures: multifamily permanent loans typically $3–10 million on stabilized properties with hybrid 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year fixed terms, and income-property permanent loans typically $3–25 million (larger case-by-case), alongside income-property construction and owner-occupied CRE. Source: bannerbank.com
5 Best Private and Bridge Lenders in California
1. Lone Oak Fund
Los Angeles-based Lone Oak Fund, founded in 2003, lends exclusively in California — short-term first trust deed bridge loans of $1 million to $25 million on multifamily, industrial, office, retail, mixed-use, and non-owner-occupied residential, with no prepayment penalty. Its published pricing (as of mid-2026; rates move with the market) runs 7.90%–9.90% with 0.25–2.00 points, most loans written at 12 months, and leverage up to 65% LTV on multifamily and up to 60% on other property types. Rare transparency for a private lender. Source: loneoakfund.com
2. Arixa Capital
Los Angeles-based Arixa Capital lends across California and other western states, with over $8 billion in loan originations since inception — bridge, construction, and renovation loans on residential investment, multifamily, and commercial property, plus mini-perm and pro-builder programs. A scaled, institutionalized private lender for value-add and construction deals below institutional size. Source: arixacapital.com
3. Parkview Financial
Los Angeles-based Parkview Financial, founded in 2009, is a private debt fund making short-term construction and bridge loans secured by first trust deeds — development, acquisition, renovation, and refinancing across industrial, mixed-use, multifamily, office, and retail. The firm reports loans ranging from roughly $5 million to $100 million and a multi-billion-dollar origination track record, lending nationally from its LA base. Source: parkviewfinancial.com
4. Wilshire Quinn Capital
San Diego-headquartered Wilshire Quinn has operated since 2004 as a portfolio bridge lender active across California, making direct private-money bridge loans on commercial and non-owner-occupied residential property, including multifamily — with funding in roughly 5–7 days for time-critical closings. Its income fund reports over $600 million in bridge loans financed since 2011. Source: wilshirequinn.com
5. Redwood Mortgage
San Mateo-based Redwood Mortgage has lent in California for over 40 years, focused on private mortgage loans for commercial, multifamily, mixed-use, and residential investment property in-state. A Bay Area fixture for borrowers who want a California-only balance-sheet lender that has seen multiple cycles. Source: redwoodmortgage.com
How to Choose a California Commercial Real Estate Lender
- Re-underwrite your own taxes. Model post-closing property taxes off your purchase price (Prop 13 reassessment plus supplemental bills), not the seller's assessed value — lenders will, and it can move DSCR materially on long-held assets.
- Match the region. F&M and Citizens Business own Southern California relationships; Tri Counties covers Northern California and the Central Valley; East West and Cathay run statewide with international capabilities.
- Use the published boxes. Hanmi's up-to-$75M program, Banner's $3–10M multifamily band, Lone Oak's $1–25M bridge box — matching your loan size to a published range saves weeks.
- Owner-occupied unlocks SBA. With this many California SBA lenders — F&M's Preferred status in particular — 51%+ owner-occupancy deals should always price the SBA route.
- Speed has a price menu. California's private lenders publish it more openly than most markets: high-single-digit rates and a point or two for weeks-not-months execution. Pay it only when the deadline binds.
Whichever lenders make your shortlist, lead with a complete commercial loan package — the state's most competitive lenders triage on completeness.
Find the Right California Lender for Your Deal
The lenders above are a strong starting bench, but California's market runs far deeper — the right fit depends on your asset type, submarket, leverage, and timeline. Lev is an AI platform that matches commercial real estate deals to the lenders that actually fit them, so you spend your time comparing terms instead of qualifying strangers.
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