Press Release: New Hampshire Community Loan Fund Earns Investment-Grade Rating from Fitch
by N.H. Community Loan Fund
on October 19, 2026
CONCORD, N.H., October 19, 2026 — New Hampshire Community Loan Fund (the Community Loan Fund), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), today announced that Fitch Ratings has assigned the organization an 'A-' Issuer Default Rating with a Positive Outlook, making it one of only a small number of CDFIs nationwide rated by an SEC-registered credit rating agency.
Fitch cited the Community Loan Fund's four-decade track record, its leading position in lending to resident-owned manufactured-home communities (ROCs), and its strong asset quality, including a five-year average nonperforming loan ratio of 1.2%, net charge-offs averaging 0.0%, and zero losses on ROC loans.
The Positive Outlook reflects improving leverage and capital. The debt-to-equity ratio improved to 2.0x in fiscal 2025 and 2026, from more than 3.0x in the prior five-year period, and Fitch's core capital ratio rose to 26%. Fitch noted the rating could move higher if these trends continue.
"For more than four decades, we've shown that lending to resident-owned communities and manufactured-home owners is both mission-critical and financially sound," said Steve Saltzman, President and CEO of New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. "This rating opens the door to new institutional investors, and that capital will help more homeowners preserve their communities, more families finance a home, and more local businesses grow."
The rating follows steady growth. The loan portfolio grew from $153 million in fiscal 2022 to $213 million in fiscal 2026, and the earned income ratio reached 95%, reflecting limited reliance on grants. Fitch also credited disciplined underwriting and risk management.
Fitch also recognized the Community Loan Fund's borrower support programs, including financial education, counseling, and loss mitigation, as contributing to its credit performance.
The rating is expected to broaden access to institutional investors and diversify funding, supporting the expansion of the Community Loan Fund's lending across New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and the Northeast.
“New Hampshire Community Loan Fund has spent more than four decades proving that resident ownership and disciplined lending go hand in hand,” said Jaime Aldama, President and CEO of Momentus Securities. “This rating, and its Positive Outlook, gives institutional investors an independent benchmark for that track record and positions the Community Loan Fund to bring new, long-term capital to the communities they serve.”
Momentus Securities served as New Hampshire Community Loan Fund’s exclusive financial advisor throughout the rating process, providing strategic advisory and capital markets expertise to support the rating process and position the organization for broader institutional capital markets access.
Read the full rating announcement on Fitch's website.
About the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
Founded in 1983, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund is a nonprofit, certified CDFI and one of the nation's first community development loan funds. It provides loans, capital and coaching for resident-owned communities, manufactured-home buyers, affordable housing developers, childcare, community facilities, small businesses, and farm and food enterprises across New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, helping people and communities become economically secure.
About Momentus Securities
Momentus Securities is a SEC-registered broker-dealer and FINRA/SIPC member connecting mainstream capital sources with impactful investments. These services include debt and equity capital raising, asset-backed and structured finance as well as corporate advisory services. Momentus Securities seeks to bolster the mission-driven investing space by addressing the current scale and liquidity limitations in the sector that inhibit the deployment of institutional capital. Learn more at www.momentussecurities.com
Media Contact
Katie McQuaid
EVP of Philanthropy & Community Engagement
kmcquaid@communityloanfund.org
603-856-0728
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Positive outlook reflects improving leverage and strengthening capital at one of the nation's first CDFIs