NEWPORT BEACH, CA - Liberty SBF, a full-service real estate finance company, has expanded its national footprint with the opening of its West Coast office, headquartered in Newport Beach, CA. Zach Murphy, a veteran commercial real estate professional, has joined Liberty SBF as Vice President, Commercial Lending, and will head the office.
The fast-growing company last year originated more than $40 million in loans nationwide for its own balance sheet. It recently relocated its headquarters to Philadelphia.
Murphy brings more than a decade of experience in commercial real estate finance to his new position. “Zach’s depth and breadth of expertise in the commercial real estate industry makes him the perfect candidate to lead our new California office,” said Alexander Cohen, CEO of Liberty SBF. “Newport Beach and the surrounding counties are some of the country’s highest per capita locations for commercial real estate activity, and our location here creates a huge opportunity for growth.”
Prior to joining Liberty SBF, Murphy spent several years with Silver Point Capital, LP, where he traded distressed commercial real estate debt, insurance-linked securities, bonds and assets in the capital markets. Murphy also spent several years with Westlake, CA-based Velocity Commercial Capital, where he served as Division Director and was the company’s top originator, responsible for more than $300 million in originations.
He began his commercial real estate career at Bayview Financial, where he was responsible for building a commercial origination platform for the western region of the U.S.
Located in the Fashion Island Corporate Plaza – neighboring Fashion Island shopping mall, various eateries and well-known hotels – Liberty SBF’s new space is representative of the current trend in open office design, creating an environment well suited for interaction and collaboration.
About Liberty SBF
Liberty SBF is a full-service commercial real estate finance company that provides loan origination, loan servicing and lender services. The company has a special expertise in small-balance commercial lending, lending directly from its balance sheet and originating loans for its investment partners. For more information about Liberty SBF, please visit www.libertysbf.com.