"In the face of great uncertainty in the automobile industry,particularly at the retail level, we were pleased to be able torespond to our client's refinancing requirements with a creativeand solidly structured loan package," says Casimir Groblewski,managing director of Fantini & Gorga, the Boston-based mortgagebanking firm that secured the loan. Groblewski cited the solidreputation of the borrowers and the "high quality and successfulhistory of the properties" for being able to arrange therefinancing through an unnamed national life insurance company.

Two of the properties are located in North Hampton, the largerof which is 177 Lafayette Rd. Home to Hampton Ford & Hyundai,which opened in 1984, the parcel is comprised of nine acres and twobuildings totaling more than 53,000 sf. The other is a 3.2-acresite at 170 Lafayette Rd. with a 20,000-sf building occupied bySunbelt Rentals, one of the country's largest equipment leasingcompanies.Located a little farther inland, the third property isjust off Route 108 in Exeter at a site where McFarland Ford hasoperated for over a half-century. That property is anchored by arecently restored 28,000-sf building.

According to Groblewski, the $7.8 million is being used toconsolidate various bank loans into a long-term, fixed-rateaccommodation. An affiliate of Eastern Bank, Fantini & Gorgaarranges a mix of traditional debt, mezzanine capital and equityfinancing for all commercial property types across the country.