Momentus Securities Advises City First Enterprises on Historic BBB+ Investment-Grade Rating

Landmark achievement proves smaller community lenders can successfully access institutional capital markets with the right strategic guidance.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Momentus Securities, a mission-driven investment bank bridging the gap between mainstream capital and social impact, today announced its successful role as exclusive financial advisor to City First Enterprises (CFE) in achieving a BBB+ Issuer Default Rating from Fitch Ratings.

With a balance sheet of $93 million, CFE’s rating demonstrates that capital markets access is no longer reserved for the largest CDFIs. This historic milestone refutes an industry-wide assumption that a CDFI must amass at least half a billion in assets even to be considered for such a credential.

By guiding a highly focused, mission-driven organization to a stable, investment-grade rating, Momentus Securities is actively dismantling that barrier. The achievement underscores a fundamental shift in community finance: massive scale is no longer a strict prerequisite for institutional validation. Instead, the focus is squarely on the intrinsic quality of the loan portfolio, disciplined underwriting, and having the right capital markets assistance to translate a lender’s financial narrative for major rating agencies.

“This BBB+ rating is a watershed moment not just for our client, but for the entire community development sector,” said Jaime Aldama, President and CEO of Momentus Securities. “It proves that a CDFI with strong underwriting, a high-quality portfolio, and the right capital markets guidance can earn the same institutional recognition as lenders many times its size. And once that recognition is established, capital markets reward it in real time – with broader investor access, more competitive pricing, and a funding base that reflects the organization's true credit quality rather than its balance sheet size.”

“This rating is an important milestone for CFE and proof that mission-driven CDFIs can meet rigorous credit standards while staying rooted in the communities they serve,” said Oswaldo Acosta, President and CEO of CFE. “Momentus Securities helped us translate our strong portfolio, disciplined underwriting, and community impact into a clear capital markets story.”

As part of the advisory process, Momentus Securities provided the necessary financial structuring and market expertise to help CFE demonstrate its risk profile and operational excellence to Fitch Ratings. The resulting BBB+ rating will empower the lender to diversify its funding base and efficiently deploy more capital into affordable housing, small businesses, community facilities, and clean energy projects, ultimately helping communities thrive.

About Momentus Securities

Momentus Securities is an SEC-registered broker-dealer, a MSRB-registered municipal advisor, a FINRA-approved municipal advisor and municipal securities broker-dealer, and a FINRA/SIPC member, offering a range of financial products and services to support its mission of connecting mainstream capital sources and impactful investment opportunities. These services include debt and equity capital raising, asset-backed and structured finance as well as corporate finance and 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.

Momentus Securities is part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations, which includes, among other organizations, Capital Impact Partners (a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFI) and CDC Small Business Finance (a leading SBA Community Advantage Small Business Lending Company, or CA SBLC). For more information, visit momentussecurities.com.