How Should You Compare a Conventional Commercial Lender and a Bank?
Compare the actual structure, property criteria, fees, recourse and conditions of each commercial proposal. A bank and a nonbank lender can both offer conventional financing; the institution's label does not tell you which loan fits.
Key loan facts
- Loan Amount
- $100,000 to $15,000,000
- Eligible properties
- Multifamily, Office, Retail, Industrial, Mixed-use, Self-storage, Cold storage, Hotels, Motels, Data centers
- Maximum Leverage
- 75%
- Minimum FICO
- 680
- Minimum DSCR
- 1.15x
What changes when you compare institutions instead of headlines?
Request proposals using the same loan amount, property income and business plan. Ask how each institution sizes the loan, whether it requires a broader banking relationship, and who will resolve conditions. A bank may fit an established relationship well; another lender may have a program matching the property. Neither category is automatically faster or cheaper.
Where it fits
Conventional commercial financing describes the transaction, not a promise about a lender's charter. SBA financing is separate and can also involve a bank. Avoid comparing a conventional investment-property mortgage with an SBA owner-occupied transaction as though their eligibility or equity requirements were interchangeable.
Illustrative example
Illustrative: if two proposals have different prepayment provisions, reserve requirements or recourse, the same advertised payment does not make them equivalent. Ask each team to explain those differences in writing before choosing.
Initial fit check
Occupied commercial real estate, minimum FICO 680, minimum DSCR 1.15x, and no more than 75% LTV. Value, income, title and documents must support the request.
Apply with your property and financing request, or submit a deal as a broker through Partners.
Eligible Asset Types
- Multifamily
- Office
- Retail
- Industrial
- Mixed-use
- Self-storage
- Cold storage
- Hotels
- Motels
- Data centers
Which program facts apply to this request?
As of 2026-10-08| Fact | Public guideline |
|---|---|
| Loan amount | $100,000 to $15,000,000 |
| Program condition | Maximum loan amount: $15 million |
| Program condition | Maximum LTV: 75% |
| Program condition | Minimum FICO: 680 |
| Program condition | Minimum DSCR: 1.15x |
| Program condition | Occupied commercial real estate only |
| Program condition | Closing in as little as 30 days |
| Program condition | Commercial financing is available in 48 states. Washington, DC is unavailable. Check the property's state before proceeding. |
| Program condition | All property types are subject to underwriting. |
- • These are public guidelines, not a loan commitment. Final terms depend on underwriting.
Source: Riverside Park Capital (2026-10-08), https://riversidepark.capital/conventional-commercial-lender-vs-bank. Data may be cited or embedded with attribution.
Methodology
- Public lending guidelines reviewed 2026-10-08. Program limits are ceilings, not a commitment to lend. Examples labelled illustrative are calculations, not closed transactions.
Underwriting Guidelines
- Maximum loan amount: $15 million
- Maximum LTV: 75%
- Minimum FICO: 680
- Minimum DSCR: 1.15x
- Occupied commercial real estate only
- Closing in as little as 30 days
- Commercial financing is available in 48 states. Washington, DC is unavailable. Check the property's state before proceeding.
- All property types are subject to underwriting.
Who This Is For
- Owners comparing written commercial proposals
- Brokers helping clients evaluate conditions and relationship requirements
Who This Is Not For
- Vacant commercial properties under this occupied-property program
- Consumer home mortgages
- Unrestricted cash-out above the commercial cash-out loan limit
Frequently Asked Questions
Request Financing
Tell us about the property. We send preliminary terms, which are an estimate and not an approval.
Request Financing View Program GuidelinesSubject to underwriting, collateral review, borrower qualification, and lender approval. Not a commitment to lend.
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Commercial real estate and investor property loans. $100,000 to $15,000,000
Subject to underwriting, collateral review, borrower qualification, and lender approval. Not a commitment to lend.