FORT LEE, N.J. (February 17, 2026) – Palisades Financial, a leading commercial real estate direct lender and advisory firm, has announced that its Palisades Regional Investment Fund II (PRIF II) once again was able to outperform the major investment indexes in 2008 with a 7.75 percent return. This return is net of all fees and expenses, including management fees.

“In light of the extraordinary conditions under which we are operating, we are very pleased with our 2008 performance,” said Palisades Financial Principal James F. Calvano. “At Palisades Financial, we continue to be well-positioned to take advantage of new opportunities, even in this challenging climate, as traditional financing becomes harder to come by. We anticipate that these opportunities will become even more apparent in 2009 and we are poised to be highly strategic in capitalizing in this period of severe market dislocation.”

Palisades marked a number of milestones in 2008, including having four loans totaling more than $50 million repaid to Palisades Regional Investment Fund (PRIF) and PRIF II in one 45-day period. The repaid loans included bridge loans and first mortgages on properties in New York City.

“It says a lot about the firm that in the middle of a national credit crisis, we were able to monetize our investments,” said Palisades Financial Principal Ira Bergstein. “We know that we cannot predict the future, but by taking a conservative approach and investing strategically in transitional situations that generate strong returns for our investors, we will continue to beat market averages.”

In 2008, Palisades was also named Real Estate Manager of the Year at the fifth annual Emerging Managers Summit in Chicago, judged by the industry’s leading institutional and private investors. The award recognizes emerging managers with proven results and high potential.

Palisades strengthened its management structure with the addition of two senior financial executives in the past year. Mark Bhasin and Pierre Bonan joined the firm as senior directors of originations, responsible for originating first mortgages, subordinate debt and equity investments in real estate and real estate related instruments across a variety of asset classes.

“We are in the enviable position of expanding our leadership team at a time when others are cutting back,” said Palisades Financial Principal David McLain. “Our success and growth as a company is directly related to our ability to build a cohesive team that is able to identify investment opportunities with significant potential and capitalize on those prospects.”

“Our Fund has seen it’s best returns in markets of severe dislocation,” said Palisades Principal Jack Chimento. “We have more liquidity than traditional lenders and can be more creative in our deal structures. As more capital providers are being forced to the sidelines, our firm is seeing a dramatic increase in lending activity among a cross-section of borrowers.”

“Ordinarily, we take little satisfaction in relative performance, but given the current environment, we feel that this year’s returns are the exception to that logic,” said Palisades Financial Principal Mark Zurlini. “Our strategy remains to capitalize on the tremendous illiquidity in the marketplace. With capital to invest, we remain highly active in the current market cycle.”