Sterling Financial is doing what it can to prevent its reputation from being tarnished. It is the holding company for Sterling Savings Bank, which provides standard banking and lending services in the Pacific Northwest. Sterling Savings operates about 180 branch locations in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Its wealth management division markets stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, and other investments to bank customers. Mortgage and construction loans account for more than half of the company's portfolio. Bank subsidiary INTERVEST issues commercial mortgages throughout the West. Under orders from regulators, Sterling Financial is working to raise its capital levels.

"TG" may sound like a college fraternity, but it's more about tuition and books than togas and beer. Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, commonly known as TG, was formed by the Texas legislature in 1979 to administer the Federal Family Education Loan Program in the Lone Star State. The public not-for-profit corporation helps facilitate the loan process and guarantees payment of loans to its more than 300 originating lenders. It also awards more than $1 million in grants to students and programs each year. Annually it works with around 900 public and private colleges and helps some 875,000 students achieve a post-secondary education. TG's income comes from loan fees and it receives no state funding.

Textron Financial Corporation company provides customer financing programs for golf carts and aircrafts manufactured by its parent, Textron. It mainly offers loans, finance leases, and operating leases for the purchase of new Cessna airplanes, Bell helicopters, and E-Z-GO golf equipment. Due to poor market conditions in 2008 the company stopped offering asset-based lending, distribution finance, golf course mortgages, resort financing, and structured capital. However, Textron Financial still manages a portfolio of receivables from that business.

TF Financial Corporation company owns Third Federal Savings Bank, which operates about 15 branches in southeastern Pennsylvania's Buck and Philadelphia counties and neighboring Mercer County, New Jersey. The bank offers standard deposit products, including CDs, IRAs, and savings, checking, NOW, and money market accounts. It also provides insurance and investment products and services. The bank's lending activities mainly consist of issuing one- to four-family residential mortgages (around half of the company's loan portfolio), multifamily and commercial real estate loans (about a quarter), and construction, business, and consumer loans.

The Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group knows debt, mezzanine, and equity financing from A to Z. It's one of the nation's leading real estate intermediaries, providing developers and investors with expertise in land assemblage, debt and equity financing, net lease negotiations, and major commercial property sales. It's also involved in joint venture Ackman-Ziff Chazen Realty Advisors, which arranges equity capital for real estate owners and developers. Ackman-Ziff started as an Ackman family business in 1926. Simon Ziff joined the firm as an analyst in 1988, then became president in 1996. Today, the firm arranges deals from coast to coast and operates offices in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.

The Rose Corporation has blossomed as a merchant bank specializing in real estate. Rose provides first mortgages and short-term mezzanine lending to developers primarily in Toronto and invests in such properties as senior living centers and resorts. Benefiting from Canada's thriving entertainment industry, subsidiary Toronto Film Studios will build and operate Filmport, a $250 million multistage film lot and media village in Toronto's port area. CEO Sam Reisman split from a family of homebuilders to found Rose (named for his wife) in 1982; he took the firm private in 2003.

The Singer Organization can help you join the chorus of companies seeking debt and equity funding. The commercial brokerage company (which does business as The Singer & Bassuk Organization or SBO) provides debt and equity funding and consulting services for commercial real estate firms, primarily in the New York metropolitan area. The Singer Organization's average deal size is in excess of $50 million. Typically the firm arranges financing for high-rise residential buildings, hotels, retail centers, and offices. Big developers such as the Moinian Group, Rockrose Development, and Douglaston Development are among its clients. Executives Andrew Singer and Richard Bassuk lead the firm, which they founded in 1995.

The Southern Banc Company is the holding company for The Southern Bank, which operates about five branches in Etowah, Cherokee, and Marshall counties in northeastern Alabama. Serving both local businesses and consumers, the bank offers standard deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio is dominated by one-to-four family residential mortgages, business loans, and consumer loans, but Southern Bank also writes nonresidential real estate mortgages and loans secured by savings accounts.

Timberland Bancorp is the holding company for Timberland Savings Bank, which operates more than 20 branches in western Washington. The bank targets individuals and regional businesses, offering checking, savings, and money market accounts, and CDs. The bank concentrates on real estate lending, including commercial and residential mortgages, multifamily residential loans, and land develoment loans; it also writes business loans and other types of loans. Timberland Savings Bank was founded in 1915 as a savings and loan.

U.S. AgBank, FCB bank provides funding for long-term real estate loans secured by first mortgages on farm or rural land. It also provides shorter-term loans to agricultural producers. The government-sponsored entity does not lend directly to borrowers, but rather through more than two dozen associations (Agricultural Credit Associations, Farm Land Credit Associations, Production Credit Associations) that own U.S. AgBank. The company plans to merge with CoBank, another Farm Credit System member.

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