Fairbridge Taps Family Office Club as Private Credit Reshapes Real Estate

NEW YORK, NY – April 20, 2026 – As traditional financing sources remain constrained, the world of real estate investment is increasingly turning to a new class of capital providers. Highlighting this pivotal shift, John Lettera, Co-Founder and Partner of private credit firm Fairbridge Asset Management, is set to address an influential audience of investors at the Family Office Club’s “Speed Networking + Investor Talks” event in New York City on April 22.

The speaking engagement places a spotlight on the expanding role of non-bank lenders in a market grappling with higher interest rates and a pullback from regional banks. For family offices, whose primary mandate is the preservation and growth of multigenerational wealth, understanding this new landscape is not just strategic—it's essential.

The New Landscape of Real Estate Finance

The ground beneath the real estate finance market has fundamentally shifted. In recent years, regulatory pressures and balance sheet concerns have caused many traditional banks to tighten their lending standards, creating a significant capital vacuum. This void has been eagerly filled by private credit firms, which have grown from a niche alternative to a dominant force.

According to data from Preqin, the U.S. private credit market, which includes real estate loans, swelled from $141 billion in 2013 to over $853 billion by the end of 2023. Projections from industry giants like BlackRock suggest the global market could double to $3.5 trillion by 2030. This explosive growth is a direct response to demand from real estate investors and developers who require the speed, flexibility, and certainty of execution that private lenders can provide. Lettera’s upcoming presentation is poised to delve into this transformation, offering investors a guide to navigating the opportunities and risks inherent in this new paradigm.

“In today’s complex real estate credit environment, however, discipline, sound due diligence, and considered underwriting are not merely best practices — they are essential safeguards,” Lettera commented in a statement ahead of the event. His focus underscores a critical theme: while opportunity abounds, expertise is paramount.

A Magnet for Multigenerational Wealth

Family offices, the private wealth management firms that serve ultra-high-net-worth families, are a key audience for this message. With a long-term investment horizon, their focus is less on speculative gains and more on durable, income-generating strategies that offer resilience across market cycles. Real estate has long been a cornerstone of their portfolios, valued for its tangible nature and inflation-hedging properties.

Recent trends show these investment groups are increasingly allocating capital toward private market debt. Lettera’s discussion will address why short-duration, asset-backed real estate credit strategies have become particularly compelling. These strategies offer the potential for predictable income streams secured by hard assets, aligning perfectly with the family office mandate for capital preservation. By acting as the lender, investors can achieve attractive, equity-like returns but with a more protected position in the capital stack.

The synergy between Fairbridge’s philosophy and the family office mindset was noted by Richard Wilson, President and Founder of the Family Office Club. “We’re proud to welcome John to our community,” said Wilson. “His work building Fairbridge Asset Management reflects the values family office investors know well — discipline, long-term thinking and genuine purpose.” The event, part of a series that has facilitated over $500 million in transactions, provides a powerful platform for these ideas.

An Institutional Blueprint for Private Credit

At the heart of the discussion is Fairbridge Asset Management’s own model, which seeks to apply an institutional-grade discipline to the dynamic world of bridge lending. Founded in 2018, the SEC-registered firm brings together a team with over a century of combined experience in finance, law, and asset management. This depth of expertise is what allows the firm to underwrite and manage structurally complex real estate loans.

With regulatory assets under management of approximately $371 million as of late 2024, Fairbridge has built a track record of over $800 million in bridge loan originations with, according to the firm, no principal losses to date. Its strategy centers on senior secured loans, typically with conservative loan-to-value ratios between 40% and 70% and interest rates from 10% to 13%, secured by assets ranging from multi-family residential buildings to commercial and hotel properties.

Lettera, a combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a former attorney at Milbank LLP, embodies this disciplined approach. He is known for a philosophy that emphasizes strict underwriting and maintaining control as a lender to protect principal, a strategy honed over a 25-year career in real estate debt and equity. This background, which also includes teaching corporate and real estate finance as an adjunct professor at Pace University's Elisabeth Haub School of Law, lends significant weight to his perspective on prudent risk management.

During his presentation, Lettera is expected to share his views on evaluating alternative lenders and identifying strategic opportunities. “I look forward to sharing with the Family Office Club audience views on key criteria for evaluating alternative lenders, and why a comprehensive skillset encompassing prudent risk management, disciplined execution and strategic opportunity identification is paramount to protecting and compounding capital in this evolving market landscape,” he stated.

The discussion will provide a blueprint for investors seeking to deploy capital strategically, emphasizing the importance of sponsor alignment and structured underwriting in mitigating downside risk while capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the current market.