The bridge lending space has exploded, Gary Bechtel, president of Money360, said on the Debt and Equity Financing: The Issues Affecting Deal Flow panel at RealShare Apartments this week. He estimated that there are 130 to 150 bridge lenders in the space, serving a wide range of spreads and deals. Gary Tenzer, co-founding principal at George Smith Partners; moderated the panel, which included speakers Jordan Goforth, director of Ready Capital Structured Finance; Jerome Fink, co-managing partner of The Bascom Group; Jason Haye, national sales director at Velocity Mortgage Capital; and Jeff Burns, managing director of Walker & Dunlop, along with Bechtel.