Eastern Union founder Ira Zlotowitz has launched a new firm that employs a “consumer to business” approach.

HOWELL, NJ— Ira Zlotowitz, founder and president of commercial mortgage brokerage firm Eastern Union, has launched a separate new company here called the Ira Group that educates the public about the power of lending as a pathway for commercial real estate investment with the goal of having some of those individuals eventually becoming lenders.

The Ira Group employs a “consumer-to business” approach that makes introductions that then allow individual, private lenders to collectively participate in a syndicated loan being packaged by a private, public, or institutional “hard-money” lender serving as the lead lender or syndicator. Participating consumers may choose their own preferred risk level, typically within the scope a single transaction. The level of risk can extend from a conventional 4% to 5% range up to returns reaching 12% or more, the company states.

In contrast, Eastern Union, which is headquartered in Brooklyn, concentrates on conventional, “business-to-business” real estate mortgage brokerage models through which borrowers are introduced to lenders that match their borrowing needs.

“We are educating the public to the fact that investing in real estate is not the only way to benefit from commercial real estate,” says Zlotowitz. “You can also be a private lender.

The Ira Group's target market includes individuals with past lending experience, as well as newcomers to commercial real estate lending. The new company will be engaged in opportunities extending across a full spectrum of risk and return.

He says the first component of the firm's two-part business model is to “educate people about the benefits of lending as a secure pathway to investment success,” says Zlotowitz, who has trained more than 4,300 people in commercial real estate financing via online and in-person seminars, courses, internships, and within Eastern Union.

The Ira Group then introduces prospective lenders to other lenders offering opportunities covering a wide range of risk levels, Zlotowitz notes. Prospective lenders then meet with other lenders who are actively assembling a team of co-lenders all focused on a particular asset.

Zlotowitz will personally host a 60-minute seminar that educates attendees about becoming a lender, and spells out the specific steps participants can take to join the ranks of syndicated lenders at various levels of risk.

He will present the seminar on Wednesday evening May 29 at 8:30 p.m. in Lakewood, NJ and on Wednesday evening, June 5 in Israel. Participants may attend in person, or they may take part in an interactive webinar format from any location via streaming. Interested parties can register for either seminar by visiting The Ira Group at theiragroup.com.

“We are educating the public to the fact that investing in real estate is not the only way to benefit from commercial real estate,” Zlotowitz says. “You can also be a private lender.

Instant Insights /

Eastern Union Founder Launches Firm to Educate Public on the 'Power of Lending'

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