Built for the next deal.
CX Lending was formed in January 2025 by Shane Pierson, Stephanie Castagnier Dunn, and Brian Congelliere — the three principals behind Lords of Lending. Between them, they've funded more than $1.8 billion in SBA financing and now operate under one specialty-capital platform.
Three active lending hubs anchor the book today — led by CX SBA, alongside CX Film and CX Commercial Real Estate — with CX Private Credit and CX Equipment in formation. Lords of Lending and Lendari run the media, training, and technology rails.
We lend. We advise. We selectively co-invest. We publish. We teach. And every deal, across every division, passes through the same fundability standard before it touches capital.
Three lenders. One desk.
Each principal has built a full SBA department from zero. Between them, 55+ years in institutional lending and $1.8B+ in SBA financing funded.
Shane Pierson
Shane has built four SBA departments from zero and deployed over $500M in SBA 7(a), 504, and USDA B&I loans across five institutions — Pacific Premier Bank, First Bank, IncredibleBank, Grasshopper Bank, and now PHX Business at Community Bank & Trust.
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Stephanie Castagnier Dunn
Stephanie drives the strategic direction, growth, and performance of the bank's small-business lending department. With 25+ years in financial services, she has led SBA lending at Live Oak Bank (the #1 SBA lender in the U.S., where she was the nation's #1 funeral-home SBA lender), First Bank, IncredibleBank, and Grasshopper Bank — serving as President of SBA Lending before her current role.
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Brian Congelliere
Attorney-turned-SBA loan officer. Brian practiced real-estate law at Allen Matkins and Fainsbert Mase Brown & Sussman in Los Angeles for six years before moving full-time into SBA lending at First Bank SBA, IncredibleBank, and Grasshopper Bank — specializing in business acquisitions, transaction-risk assessment, and strategic-growth structuring.
Full bio →The build.
Lords of Lending founded.
Shane Pierson, Stephanie Castagnier Dunn, and Brian Congelliere launch the SBA origination franchise and podcast.
Learnlol & the Academy.
The Lords of Lending Academy launches at learn.lordsoflending.com — 15 modules, 66 lessons, 179 quiz questions.
Lendari AI fundability engine enters production.
Proprietary scoring built on the team's lifetime of SBA originations.
CX Lending formed as the parent capital platform.
Five capital divisions and two operating companies under one roof.
Three things we will not compromise.
Discipline
Every deal underwrites the same way it would at a mid-market bank. No shortcuts, no favors.
Specialization
Five divisions, five teams, five playbooks. Generalists lose deals that specialists close.
Speed
Fast close times aren't the aspirational case — they're the standard. Capital that waits is capital that loses.