The Real Deal caught up with City National Bank’s Jorge Gonzalez on the floor of the South Florida Real Estate Showcase and Forum to learn about CNB’s lending strategy for the next year. In a world of rising interest rates and increasingly-conservative lending institutions, Gonzalez sees an opportunity for City National Bank (CNB) to move into new spaces and provide funding where others are unwilling. “We’re at the right place, at the right time, with the right platform,” said Gonzalez. “This is an opportunity for us to help those that are looking to deploy and invest.”
One major way that CNB is setting itself apart from the competition is by helping the wave of newcomers navigate South Florida’s economic ecosystem, leveraging the bank’s deep roots and wealth of local knowledge to facilitate investment. “We’ve created a concierge service that really helps them assimilate into this community in the most seamless way possible,” said Gonzalez.
This home-field advantage has allowed CNB’s relationship managers to expand their strong lending portfolio and put their mark on new sectors as other financial institutions retreat. “We’re not going to curtail lending,” said Gonzalez. “The key for us is making sure that we’re deploying that capital across different asset classes across different sectors, so we’re really helping all aspects of the community.” And, while the loan structures may be a little different than they would have been a couple of years ago, Gonzalez and CNB are dedicated to working with veteran and new South Floridians in 2023 and beyond.