James M. McCarthy has over 30 years experience in real estate as a lender, investment manager, portfolio manager, financial adviser, work-out consultant, or city planner being involved in over $5 billion of real estate transactions.
Jameson Capital is involved in real estate investment, structuring, management and capitalization and is affiliated with Strategic Capital Solutions, a real estate merchant bank/bridge lender based in New York and London. Mr. McCarthy serves as Chief Investment Officer for Strategic Capital Solutions and also as an adviser to Lumina Real Estate Capital, an opportunistic investor in London real estate.
Mr. McCarthy advised on the establishment of two de nova bridge/opportunity real estate funds (BCF/North Hill) backed by Liberty Harbor/Goldman Sachs. He served as a consultant to several investment banks including Paine Webber and CIBC World Markets.
He co-founded Intercap Investments, an investment boutique specializing in U.S. direct investments and investment advice for offshore investors, including closing some of the first Islamic real estate transactions in the U.S. He substantially re-established the Real Estate Investment Group of The Guardian Life Insurance Company and increased the portfolio from $100 million to over $1 billion (when a billion meant something). While with the advisory and investment banking groups of Chemical Bank, he was involved in excess of $500 million in transactions including structuring a major masterlease/purchase option/debt financing on a New York office property, equity investments on behalf of the bank’s trust department, assistance on a real estate backed Eurobond, and advising offshore investors on investing in and the management of US properties.
As Supervising Principal Planner, he worked on the redevelopment of the Jersey City “Gold Coast” – Exchange Place, Liberty Park and Newport City including the initial planning, funding, and developments; was involved in housing and economic development, historic districts, residential development and rehabilitation, neighborhood planning, community development, and transportation planning.
Mr. McCarthy holds an MBA from Columbia University and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University.
