How do insurance companies underwrite hotel loans and what does 225 bps over Treasuries actually mean?
Insurance company hotel lending operates on different criteria than CMBS conduit or bank hotel lending, and produces meaningfully better pricing for borrowers who qualify. Insurance companies (life insurance companies managing long-duration liabilities) hold hotel loans to maturity rather than securitizing them. Their criteria: minimum 1.40× DSCR on trailing NOI, LTV at or below 65%, institutional flag affiliation (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG), primary location (I-Drive, Airport, Convention District), and borrower net worth equal to or greater than the loan amount. Borrowers who meet all criteria access pricing at approximately 225 basis points over the 10-year Treasury. At a 10-year Treasury of approximately 4.5% (Q1 2026), that is a 6.75% all-in rate, 75–125 basis points tighter than CMBS conduit pricing.