BridgePeak Energy Capital, LLC (“BridgePeak”) today highlighted its growing role in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA RD) guaranteed loan programs. Since 2020, BridgePeak has arranged more than $1.6 billion in USDA-guaranteed loans for its bank partners, led by the Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantee Program and the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
While that work started in rural energy, BridgePeak is now supporting a $500 million pipeline of USDA guaranteed loans across hospitality, healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, forest products, rural water and tribal economic development.
Business & Industry Loans: Capital for Rural Business
The B&I program is the backbone of BridgePeak’s USDA strategy. A B&I guarantee allows community and regional banks to extend longer term credit to rural businesses. BridgePeak has used B&I to finance solar, battery energy storage and bioenergy projects in rural communities across the country, and increasingly for businesses outside of energy.
BridgePeak’s current pipeline illustrates the wide range of business that benefit from the USDA RD loan program. It includes hotels and resorts in rural destination markets, rural hospitals and senior care facilities, Community Facilities loans for higher education, and manufacturing plants. It also includes sawmills financed through the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program, rural water districts, highway travel centers, and tribal economic development projects.
Built on Strict Program Compliance
BridgePeak packages, underwrites, closes and services every USDA loan to the requirements of 7 CFR Part 5001 and the related Rural Development instructions. That covers eligibility and priority scoring at application, lender certifications at closing, and the annual reporting and servicing obligations that follow for the life of the loan.
BridgePeak’s controls are independently tested through SOC and financial audits.
“I spent more than a decade working at USDA Rural Development, and understand the importance of adhering to USDA processes to support efficient and sound use of the loan guarantee programs,” said David Thigpen, President of BridgePeak. “Every package we submit has to hold up to agency review on day one and to a servicing review ten years later. That discipline is how we earn the trust of our bank partners and the USDA state offices we work with every day.”
Advocating for Rural Businesses, People and Communities
BridgePeak is an active advocate for USDA Rural Development and the borrowers it serves. The firm works with lenders, industry associations and policymakers to explain how guaranteed lending fills credit gaps in rural markets, and to support program funding and rules that let more community banks participate.
“The USDA Rural Development loan programs provide impact in the markets often overlooked or ignored by conventional lenders,” said Shawn Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of BridgePeak. “We’re proud to help our bank partners put these programs to work creating and preserving jobs in rural communities.”
Lenders, sponsors and rural business owners interested in USDA guaranteed financing can reach the BridgePeak team at info@bridgepeak.com.
About BridgePeak Energy Capital
BridgePeak Energy Capital, LLC is the nation’s leading energy-focused commercial loan service provider for banks and institutional lenders. Founded in 2020, BridgePeak specializes in arranging, servicing and managing commercial loans for energy and infrastructure projects, including USDA and SBA guaranteed loans. Since inception, BridgePeak has closed more than $6.4 billion in loans and, as of 30, 2026, manages a portfolio exceeding $4.6 billion. Learn more at bridgepeak.com.
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