BBIF & Fifth Third Bank Invest $1.3 Million in New Markets Tax Credit Incentives into Central Christian University for Facility Purchase

Dr. Juan Carlos Amesty is a Hispanic American and founder and president of Central Christian University (CCU). Dr. Amesty formed CCU in 2005 and has held a lifelong mission to provide professional services to the community.

As a local Christian University located in the Pine Hills community, CCU has a commitment to improve the Orlando community through education & social services. Through their recent acquisition of their facility, CCU has an opportunity to continue to expand on their foundations, making long-term impact in their community.

“BBIF’s partnership with Fifth Third has enabled us to invest in companies like CCU that offer essential services such as education to communities in need. – Inez Long, President/CEO, BBIF

The NMTC financing of $1.3 million dollars came from an allocation given to BBIF by Fifth Third Bank in 2018. In addition to this below market rate loan, BBIF provided a business loan of approximately $100,000 to help the company with improvements related to hurricane resiliency.

“We believe in the potential of this community. Our goal is to provide valuable education and support services that strengthen families and promote long-term growth.”

Carolina Amesty, Special Advisor to The President, Central Christian University

About BBIF

Created in 1987, BBIF provides loan capital, financial technical assistance, and business development services to support business owners. As a mission-driven lender, BBIF helps businesses grow by offering capital solutions and specialized guidance tailored to their needs. BBIF is a CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) and CDE (Community Development Enterprise) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury CDFI Fund. The organization is also a Community Advantage and Micro Loan lender certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration, a Money Smart for Small Business collaborator with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and holds an AERIS rating of triple star, A.

Since its inception, BBIF has provided over 1,185 loans totaling $103.6 million and received over $200MM in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC)  awards, for a leveraged impact of over $625 million in NMTC investments. These efforts have created/retained over 15,000 jobs, while maintaining a historical loan loss rate of 4.08%. Learn more at www.BBIF.com.