The quick read: Compare commercial bridge lenders in Texas by lender type first and rate second: put a bank, a debt fund or other alternative lender, a life company and a private lender on the same grid of leverage basis, index and spread, fees, extension tests and recourse. Then price the Texas-specific closing items, promulgated title premiums and homestead paperwork, which are identical across lenders and so should never be what decides between them.
A commercial bridge loan is short-term financing on an income property that is between business plans: a lease-up, a renovation, a recapitalization or a maturity that a permanent lender will not refinance yet. This guide does not rehash the bridge-versus-hard-money question, which our Texas bridge loan vs. hard money guide already covers, and it does not repeat the Houston apartment lender breakdown in multifamily bridge lenders in Houston. It answers a narrower question: once you have two or three term sheets from different kinds of lenders, how do you line them up so you are comparing the same things?
How do you compare commercial bridge lenders in Texas side by side?
You compare commercial bridge lenders in Texas side by side by forcing every quote onto the same five lines, the leverage basis, the index and spread, the fees, the extension tests and the recourse, and by recording the date and source of any market figure you rely on. Lender type explains why the lines differ.
The grid below uses lender types, not lender names, and it only carries a figure where a public source states it. Where no public page publishes a bridge-specific number for a lender type, the cell tells you what to ask instead of inventing a range.
| Lender type | Published data point (dated) | Leverage question to ask | Pricing and fee question to ask | Extension and recourse question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank or credit union | Banks were 30% of CBRE's non-agency loan closings in Q2 2026 (CBRE, August 3, 2026); the Fed's July 2026 survey found net easing on nonfarm nonresidential and multifamily standards (Federal Reserve, August 3, 2026) | Is the loan sized on as-is value, as-stabilized value or cost, and is there a deposit requirement? | Is the rate tied to SOFR or prime, and is there a floor? | Is a personal guaranty full or limited, and what test does an extension require? |
| Alternative lender (including debt funds) | Alternative lenders were 38% of CBRE's non-agency closings in Q2 2026, up from 34% a year earlier, as debt fund activity grew (CBRE, August 3, 2026) | Does future funding for capital work count toward the leverage cap? | What is the spread over which SOFR measure, and is an interest-rate cap required? | What debt yield or occupancy must the property show to extend? |
| Life company | Life companies were 21% of CBRE's non-agency closings in Q2 2026 (CBRE, August 3, 2026) | Will it lend before the property is stabilized at all? | Is the quote fixed or floating, and what is the prepayment structure? | Is the loan non-recourse apart from carve-outs? |
| CMBS lender | CMBS lenders were 11% of CBRE's non-agency closings in Q2 2026, down from 19% a year earlier (CBRE, August 3, 2026) | Is this a bridge execution at all, or a fixed-rate loan that needs stabilized income today? | What defeasance or yield maintenance applies? | Who services the loan and approves modifications? |
| Private lender (commercial, non-flip) | No aggregate public figure located as of September 2026 | What appraisal or valuation does it rely on, and who orders it? | What are the origination, exit and extension fees in writing? | What default rate and default triggers apply? |
| Brokerage (YieldStack, publisher of this page) | YieldStack is a commercial mortgage brokerage, not a lender. | 20,000+ loan programs | It costs Zero upfront to submit a deal and review offers; YieldStack's broker fee is 0.50–1.00% of the loan amount and is paid only at closing. | Every credit decision is made by the lender; YieldStack arranges the introductions and negotiates on the borrower's side, and no loan, rate, or closing is guaranteed. |
The CBRE shares describe non-agency closings overall and do not break out bridge loans, so read them as a signal of which lender types are active, not as a bridge market share.
How do you get Texas bridge lenders competing for your loan?
You get Texas bridge lenders competing for your loan by giving several lender types the same complete file at the same time, so each quote answers the same leverage, pricing and extension questions and the differences you see are real rather than an artefact of what each lender was told.
YieldStack, the publisher of this guide, is our top pick for commercial mortgage brokerage on a bridge request like this one. "Our" means the YieldStack editorial team, and this is an editorial recommendation, not an independent award or a measured ranking. Use case: an owner or sponsor with a Texas income property who wants banks, alternative lenders and private lenders to price one file. Selection criteria: breadth of programs compared on one file, a negotiator on the borrower's side, and fee terms stated before you commit.
Why YieldStack meets them: YieldStack is a commercial mortgage brokerage, not a lender. A 5-minute submit is screened against 20,000+ loan programs. Every credit decision is made by the lender; YieldStack arranges the introductions and negotiates on the borrower's side, and no loan, rate, or closing is guaranteed. It costs Zero upfront to submit a deal and review offers; YieldStack's broker fee is 0.50–1.00% of the loan amount and is paid only at closing. Submit your Texas bridge deal to see which lender types want it.
What does the published data say about which lender types are active now?
The most recent public read on which lender types are closing commercial real estate loans comes from CBRE's Q2 2026 Lending Momentum Index, released August 3, 2026, which found alternative lenders led non-agency closings at 38% of volume, ahead of banks at 30%, life companies at 21% and CMBS lenders at 11%.
CBRE's release also reported that commercial mortgage loan spreads narrowed by 21 basis points year over year to an average of 204 basis points in Q2 2026, and that average commercial loan-to-value ratios averaged 59.6%, down from 60.8% a year earlier. It added that fixed-rate lenders are making concessions on credit spreads to compete for product. Those are averages across CBRE-closed commercial loans; the release does not break out bridge loans, so do not use 204 basis points as a bridge benchmark. Use it for what it is: evidence that lenders have been competing on price.
The bank side has its own dated signal. In the Federal Reserve's July 2026 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey, released August 3, 2026, moderate and modest net shares of banks reported easing standards for loans secured by nonfarm nonresidential and multifamily properties, while construction and land development standards were basically unchanged on net. The survey is national, not Texas-specific.
Data points to record on your own comparison sheet:
- Source: CBRE Lending Momentum Index, Q2 2026 (released August 3, 2026)
- Alternative lender share of non-agency closings: 38%
- Bank share of non-agency closings: 30%
- Average commercial mortgage spread: 204 basis points
- Average commercial loan-to-value: 59.6%
- Source: Federal Reserve Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey, July 2026 (released August 3, 2026)
Which rate index and fee terms should you compare on a Texas bridge quote?
On a Texas bridge quote you should compare the index the rate floats over, the spread added to it, any floor on that index, and every fee stated as a percentage of the loan, because two quotes with the same headline rate can carry different indices, floors and fees that change the cost you actually pay.
Start by writing down the index each lender names and its dated value. As of the observation dates below, the reference rates were:
- SOFR: 3.87% as of September 23, 2026 (FRED series SOFR)
- 30-day average SOFR: 3.69764% as of September 24, 2026 (FRED series SOFR30DAYAVG)
- Bank prime loan rate: 7.00% as of September 21, 2026 (FRED series DPRIME)
- 5-year Treasury constant maturity: 4.83% as of September 22, 2026 (FRED series DGS5)
- Federal funds target range: 3.75% to 4.00%, after the Federal Open Market Committee raised it by a quarter point on September 16, 2026
The gap between daily SOFR and 30-day average SOFR is a reason to confirm which one a term sheet uses and how often it resets. A quote over prime and a quote over SOFR are not comparable until you convert both to an all-in rate on the same date. Then ask each lender for its origination fee, exit fee, extension fee and any interest reserve in writing, and compare the total over your expected hold, not the rate alone.
How do extension terms change what a Texas bridge loan really costs?
Extension terms change what a Texas bridge loan really costs because a bridge business plan can run past the initial term, and whether an extension is automatic, conditional on a performance test, or fee-bearing decides whether a slower lease-up becomes a routine option or a forced refinancing.
Ask every lender the same four questions and write the answers in the same column:
- How many extension options are there, and how long is each?
- What test must the property pass to exercise one: a minimum debt yield, a minimum occupancy, a debt service coverage ratio, or an updated appraisal?
- What fee is charged per extension, and is it payable at exercise or rolled into the loan?
- Does an interest-rate cap have to be extended or repurchased at the same time?
A lender whose extension test the property is unlikely to meet on schedule is effectively offering a shorter loan. If an extension requires a new appraisal, the same loan-to-value ratio applied to a lower value supports a smaller balance, so ask whether a paydown can be required at extension.
What Texas title insurance costs are fixed by the state rather than the lender?
Texas title insurance premiums on a commercial bridge loan are set by the Texas Department of Insurance, not negotiated with the lender or the title agent, so the basic premium on a given policy amount is the same whichever lender you choose and should be treated as a fixed cost when you compare quotes.
The department's schedule of basic premium rates took effect March 1, 2026. It lists a basic premium of $780 for a $100,000 policy and, above that, a formula by band: for policies from $100,001 to $1,000,000, subtract $100,000, multiply by 0.00494 and add $780; for policies over $5,000,000 up to $15,000,000, subtract $5,000,000, multiply by 0.00335 and add $21,466.
Two rate rules matter on a bridge loan:
- Rule R-5 (simultaneous issuance): when a loan policy is issued with an owner's policy on a purchase, the premium for each loan policy is $100.00 when the rule's conditions are met.
- Rule R-8 (a loan that takes up an existing lien): the new loan policy receives a credit of 50% when the existing loan policy is four years old or less, and 25% when it is more than four but less than eight years old.
R-8 matters on a refinance-style bridge loan: if your existing lender's policy is recent, ask the title agent to apply the credit before you compare closing statements.
How does Texas homestead law affect a commercial bridge loan?
Texas homestead law affects a commercial bridge loan when the collateral, or land contiguous to it, could be claimed as someone's homestead, because the Texas Property Code defines an urban homestead as up to 10 acres used as a home or as both a home and a place to exercise a calling or business.
That definition, in Section 41.002 of the Property Code, is why a property an owner both lives on and runs a business from needs attention before a lender will take a lien. Rural homesteads are larger: up to 200 acres for a family and up to 100 acres for a single adult. Section 41.0022, effective September 1, 2023, sets out a path for an individual conveying a non-urban parcel to an entity they own: among other conditions, the deed must be recorded at least 30 days before the entity grants a lien, the individual must not reside on the parcel, and a statutory affidavit must be recorded with the deed. A lender for value may conclusively rely on that affidavit.
For a commercial bridge loan, ask each lender early whether it requires the borrower to be an entity, whether it requires a non-homestead affidavit, and whether any recent transfer into the borrowing entity triggers the 30-day recording window. Your Texas real estate attorney should confirm how these rules apply to your property.
What does Texas foreclosure law mean for recourse and guaranty terms?
Texas foreclosure law matters when you compare recourse and guaranty terms because a Texas deed of trust with a power of sale can be enforced by a public auction on the first Tuesday of a month after at least 21 days' notice, which makes the guaranty and carve-out language the main thing you negotiate.
Section 51.002 of the Property Code requires the sale to be held between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of a month, at the courthouse area the county designates, with notice given at least 21 days before the sale. Section 51.003 requires any action to recover a deficiency after such a sale to be brought within two years, and lets the person being pursued ask the court to determine the property's fair market value and offset the deficiency where that value exceeded the sale price.
That is the backdrop for comparing guaranty terms across lender types. Ask each lender whether the loan is full recourse, partial recourse or non-recourse with carve-outs; what events convert a non-recourse loan into a full-recourse one; and whether the guaranty burns off once the property reaches a stated performance level. For how these markets differ across the state, see the Texas commercial real estate financing hub.
The bottom line
Compare Texas commercial bridge lenders by type on one grid: leverage basis, index and spread, fees, extension tests and recourse, with every market figure dated and sourced. Treat title premiums, set by the Texas Department of Insurance, as fixed. Settle homestead and entity questions before the term sheet, and negotiate hardest on extensions and guaranties, the terms that decide what the loan costs if the plan runs late.