Central Lending
Overview
Central Lending is a private credit and real estate lending platform headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, with approximately $40M in assets under management. The firm originates and manages short to medium term loans secured by residential and commercial real estate assets, providing structured debt solutions to developers, investors, and operators seeking flexible capital for acquisition, renovation, repositioning, and bridge financing needs.
Platform Overview
Focused exclusively on real estate-backed private lending
Manages both origination and servicing activities, with the ability to sell loans into the secondary market while retaining servicing spread
Structures investment vehicles around defined maturity timelines, disciplined capital deployment, and aligned sponsor-investor interests
Centralized loan underwriting, servicing, and portfolio oversight
Engages Verivest LLC as a third-party fund administrator for investor-facing vehicles
Leadership
Andrew Boccia, Chief Executive Officer: Owner of Central Lending, LLC and manager of Central Lending Fund Management, LLC. Leads all aspects of firm strategy, origination, and capital deployment
Karen Samas, Chief Operating Officer: Oversees firm operations and execution
Heather Dreves, Chief Investment Officer: Leads investment strategy and portfolio oversight
Kade Palmer, Investor Relations Officer: Leads investor communications and capital relationships
Investment Strategy
Central Lending focuses on originating and managing short to medium term loans secured by residential and commercial real estate across markets supported by strong demand fundamentals. The firm's strategy is built around disciplined underwriting, asset-backed security, and defined loan terms designed to generate current income while prioritizing capital protection.
Core Approach
First-position collateral: Loans are typically secured by first-position interests in underlying real estate, providing asset-backed protection and clear recovery rights in the event of borrower default
Conservative loan-to-value ratios: Underwriting standards emphasize collateral quality, borrower track record, and exit feasibility to maintain margin of safety across the loan book
Short-duration lending: Loans structured with 6 to 24 month maturities, allowing continuous portfolio cycling, active risk management, and responsiveness to market conditions
Diversified portfolio construction: Smaller-balance loans (typically $50K to $2M with ~$200K average) spread risk across multiple borrowers, property types, and geographies
Active servicing and secondary market sales: The Manager actively originates, services, and, when appropriate, sells loans into the secondary market while retaining servicing spread to enhance portfolio yield
Investor Alignment
Dual-option investment structure (Membership Units and Secured Notes) allows investors to match their exposure to their risk and income preferences
9% cumulative Preferred Return for Members, paid before any Manager promote
Manager promote (25% carried interest) only earned after Members receive their Preferred Return
Quarterly distributions for Members, monthly interest payments for Note Holders
Reinvestment Option available for both Members and Note Holders to automatically compound returns
Transparent governance with third-party fund administration, annual financial statements, and frequent performance reporting
Target Borrower Profile
The firm focuses on experienced residential real estate investors executing development, renovation, or stabilization business plans on single and multi-family projects. Central Lending evaluates borrower track record, collateral quality, exit feasibility, and market liquidity before deploying capital, structuring each loan to balance yield generation with principal protection through conservative leverage, defined maturity schedules, and clear repayment mechanisms.
