Private Lending Insights

Rocky Butani interviewed Paul Jackson, President & CEO of Residential Capital Partners, one of the few private lenders offering 100% financing for residential & multifamily rehab projects nationwide. Paul shares his insights on the real estate market, ground-up construction trends, and how ResCap has maintained steady lending volumes for 16+ years. Learn all about their loan program, borrower requirements, interest rates, fees, and much more.Visit ResCap's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/residential-capital-partners/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #20 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/.

Rocky Butani interviews Anthony Geraci, founder of the newly re-launched Geraci Law Firm and a long-time leader in the private lending space. Anthony discusses his recent split from the firm he originally built, his continued focus on supporting private lenders, and his vision for the future of the industry. Anthony shares his perspective on major trends shaping the industry — from the rise of capital markets and securitization, to the growing demand for 50-state lending and alternative credit strategies. He also reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, the future of conferences in the space, and how private lenders can stay competitive in a shifting market.Visit Geraci LLP's website: https://geracillp.com/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #19 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro 02:44 Firm Split 05:40 Market Trends 07:08 Lending Shift 08:45 Beyond Real Estate 09:31 Legal Landscape 11:14 Strategy Advice 12:55 Client Growth 15:09 Balance vs. Securitize 17:27 DSCR Loans 20:43 CRE Outlook 22:25 Resi Shift 23:53 Defaults & Foreclosure 25:05 New Firm Build 27:23 Competing Firms 29:25 New Conference 32:10 Starting Out 34:35 Founding AAPL 39:02 Conference Boom 46:08 AAPL Role 49:33 Other Ventures 

Rocky Butani interviews Vance Hillstrom, CEO of Rubicon Mortgage Fund, for a wide-ranging discussion on California’s evolving real estate market, Rubicon’s conservative lending philosophy, and what it takes to survive and thrive in today’s private lending landscape. Rubicon has been originating bridge loans for nearly 20 years, funding deals exclusively with capital from its $150 million discretionary mortgage fund. While the firm started by focusing on the Bay Area, its lending footprint now spans the entire state of California, including a growing appetite for Southern California.Visit Rubicon's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/rubicon-mortgage-fund/This interview is Episode #18 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro 01:14 Market Trends 02:56 Loan Extensions 04:00 Bridge Loan Demand 06:19 First Republic Loans 10:50 Defaults & Foreclosures 12:17 Loan Volume 14:34 Portfolio Mix 17:20 Property Types 19:45 Gas Stations & Hospitality 21:52 Lending Regions 27:46 Guidelines & Terms 33:46 Valuation Process 39:29 Deposits 41:12 Rehab & Construction 42:30 Broker vs Borrower 43:19 Loan Examples 49:16 Team & Operations 50:49 Mortgage Fund 55:33 Closing

Rocky Butani interviews Dave Orloff, CEO of American Heritage Lending for an in-depth discussion on DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loans. They explore current market trends in mid-2025, interest rate volatility, updated loan guidelines, and what makes AHL’s DSCR program stand out — including high LTV options, 40-year loan terms, fee stacking, and their approach to short-term rentals and multifamily properties. Whether you're a broker, investor, or lender, this episode offers practical insights into one of the most popular loan products in private mortgage lending today.Visit American Heritage Lending's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/amercian-heritage-lending/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #17 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro 02:00 Market Update 04:15 Capital Markets 06:00 Rates & Pricing 07:10 Lending Trends 10:00 Loan Volume 13:00 DSCR Updates 15:50 LTV Guidelines 18:20 Credit Scores 24:00 DSCR Calc 26:30 Property Types 29:30 40 Year Term 33:40 Rate Locks 37:10 Entities 38:30 Short Term Rentals 43:30 Fee Stacking 45:50 Prepay Penalties 47:00 Location Rules 50:45 Acreage 51:35 Closing 

Yieldi's principals, Joe Ashkouti and Josh Lloyd, spoke with Rocky Butani to talk about bridge loans for commercial and residential investment properties, their lending guidelines, the company's unique capital structure, and more. Visit Yieldi's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/yieldi/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #16 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Welcome and Intro   00:40 Market Trends 2025   01:45 Company Growth   03:00 Land Loan Demand   04:30 Market Insights   06:00 Conservative Lending   07:00 Bridge to Bridge Loans   08:30 Free and Clear Deals   09:30 Cash Out Strategy   10:30 Foreclosure Bailouts   12:00 Loan Volume Growth   13:30 Commercial vs Residential   14:30 Geographic Breakdown   15:10 Lending Guidelines   17:00 Loan Sizes and LTV   19:00 Luxury Home Bridges   20:30 Consumer Bridge Loans   21:30 Land Loan Examples   25:00 Land Underwriting   27:30 Cross Collateral Loans   30:00 Special Use and Hotels   31:30 Foreign National Loans   33:00 Rehab and Fix and Flip   35:00 Commercial Value Add   36:30 Valuation Approach   38:00 Site Visit Process   40:00 Company Background   42:00 Capital Structure   44:30 Lending Regions   46:00 Georgia Lending   48:00 Municipal Issues   50:30 Final Thoughts 

Solomon Suleymanov, Partner and Director of Originations at We Lend LLC, spoke with Rocky Butani to talk about private/hard money lending in the New York City metro area. Visit We Lend’s profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/we-lend-llc/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #15 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro 01:06 NYC Market Overview 02:12 Rehab and Conversion Trends 03:55 Deal Example 05:52 Why Convert Townhouses 06:57 Manhattan vs Brooklyn 08:26 Brooklyn Price Insights 09:43 Long Island Projects 10:56 Tariffs and Inflation 12:03 Investor Activity 12:40 Loan Types 14:11 Ground Up Construction 15:45 Shovel Ready vs Raw Land 17:02 Foreclosure Bailouts 19:45 Bailout Case Study 22:40 DSCR in NYC 25:59 Multifamily Lending 27:32 Interest Rates 29:19 Rehab Loan Terms 30:41 About We Lend 33:56 Founder Background 35:36 Capital Structure 38:50 Loan Servicing 41:28 Squatter Challenges 44:54 Payment Deferrals 46:00 NYC vs Long Island 47:40 Westchester and NJ 50:15 Southern NJ Markets 52:44 NJ Foreclosures 54:02 Final Thoughts 55:33 Outro 

Jack Miller, President of Gelt Financial, spoke with Rocky Butani to talk about hard money loans for small commercial properties, their unique lending guidelines, the company's long history, and more. Visit Gelt’s profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/gelt-financial/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #14 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/Check out Gelt Financial’s YouTube channel for educational content about hard money lending: https://www.youtube.com/@GeltFinancialLLC00:00 Intro01:38 Market Trends03:31 Bank Tightening06:05 Gelt's Flexibility07:07 Loan Guidelines09:18 Fees and Appraisals12:39 Where Gelt Lends13:22 Property Types14:43 Retail and Multifamily16:05 Foreclosure Bailouts18:33 Foreign Nationals20:13 Defaults and Workouts22:35 HOA and Condo Loans25:00 UCC Liens27:24 Non-Recourse Loans30:36 Fractional Ownership31:41 JV Deals36:12 JV Risk Approach37:14 Company Overview39:19 Fast Closings40:31 Cross Collateral42:45 Capital Structure46:50 Loan Servicing50:24 Buying Loans52:16 Long-Term Borrowers55:01 Borrower Feedback55:45 Market Focus58:02 State Challenges

Briana Hildt, Co-Founder and CEO of Cardinal Capital Group, shared some insights about private lending in New England, the state of the market, their lending guidelines, the company's growth over the past few years, and nuggets about each of the different metro areas in the region.Visit Cardinal's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/cardinal-capital-group/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastConnect with Briana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briana-hildt/This interview is Episode #13 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast with Rocky Butani: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Introduction 01:46 Focus on New England 03:54 2025 Market Outlook 05:42 Investor Sentiment 08:32 Cardinal Growth 09:50 Breaking into Boston 13:32 Competing with Banks 16:41 Flexible Lending 18:45 Mid-Project Refis 22:56 Rehab Loan Guidelines 27:47 New Investors 30:20 Interest Reserves 35:26 Property Types 38:03 Geographic Focus 41:45 Offices and Team 44:00 Capital Structure 45:59 Client Onboarding 47:45 Connecticut Expansion 49:43 Lending in NH RI ME 54:00 Rhode Island Deals 57:55 Providence and Newport 58:45 Final Thoughts

Jon Hornik spoke with Rocky Butani to share his thoughts on the trade war’s impact on the private lending industry as of late April 2025. He also shared insights about the National Private Lenders Association (NPLA). Hornik serves as the Founder, Executive Director, and General Counsel of the NPLA. In addition, Hornik is the Managing Partner and Chair of the Private Lender Law Group at LaRocca Hornik Greenberg Kittredge Carlin & McPartland LLP. His firm represents over 100 nationwide lenders, originators, and investors, including top Wall Street banks and private equity firms.​ Jon Hornik is also the Mayor of Marlboro Township, New Jersey.Visit Private Lender Law’ profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/private-lender-law/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastConnect with Jon Hornik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-l-hornik-esq-6620509a/This interview is Episode #12 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro to Jon Hornik 01:21 Running NPLA Law Firm and a Town 02:07 Lending Market Update 03:44 Trade War Impact on Lending 07:35 Opportunity in Uncertainty 08:55 Securitization Market Outlook 10:13 NPLA Crisis Response 11:55 Industry Sentiment and Collaboration 13:20 Rising Costs and Layoffs 15:13 Tariffs and Construction Costs 17:01 Trade Policy Concerns 18:21 Sponsor Message 19:15 NPLA Meetings Explained 21:04 Meeting Format and Insights 23:35 NPLA Member Benefits 27:01 Membership Pricing 29:37 Mentorship and Collaboration 30:18 NPLA Conferences Overview 33:29 Why Atlantic City Works 35:35 Scottsdale Conference Preview 37:51 Conference Locations 38:51 Conference Agenda 40:32 About Private Lender Law 42:29 Closing Thoughts 43:31 Host on NPLA Membership 

Andres Saias, Chief Lending Officer at RBI Private Lending, spoke with Rocky Butani to share some insights about their growth in the past few years, their national expansion, and what's happening in Florida. Visit RBI's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/rbi-mortgages/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastConnect with Andres on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andres-saias-22b04a97/This interview is Episode #11 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro and Guest Overview   01:27 Market Trends Q1 2025   02:45 Expanding Beyond Florida   03:30 Tariffs and Investor Sentiment   04:40 Material Costs and Inventory   05:40 Treasury Rates and Capital   07:15 Securitizations and Rate Outlook   08:15 Loan Volume Growth   10:09 Borrower and Team Growth   11:59 Loan Types Overview   13:24 RTL Breakdown   16:36 Fix and Flip Strategy   20:56 Foreign National Lending   24:52 Construction Loan Terms   26:47 Large and Luxury Loans   29:42 Expansion Markets   31:05 Company History   36:43 Team and Operations   38:14 Growth Plans   40:27 Florida Market Overview   42:21 Why New Construction   43:47 Investor Shift from Florida   45:32 Inventory and Values   47:27 Risks in 2025   48:26 Condo Market   49:56 Florida Hot Markets   51:03 Jacksonville and Panhandle   52:26 Wrap-up and Contact Info 

Kevin Kim, securities attorney and partner at Fortra Law, spoke with Rocky Butani to share some insights about private mortgage funds and the secondary market for private lending in early 2025. Kevin specializes in fund formation and has assisted tons of private lending companies with securities and capital raising legal matters.Visit Fortra's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/fortra-law/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastConnect with Kevin Kim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinkimesq/This interview is Episode #10 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Introduction 00:49 Guest Intro Kevin Kim 01:41 2024 Market Trends 03:20 Raising Capital Overseas 04:14 Post Election Sentiment 06:12 Investor Misconceptions 08:25 Balance Sheet Lending 10:23 Why Choose a Fund 12:53 Trends Since 2020 14:53 Non Conforming Loans 16:45 Secondary Market Shifts 18:56 Why You Still Need a Fund 19:48 Structuring for Foreign Capital 21:52 Where Investors Are Coming From 23:48 Offshore Investor Returns 25:10 Rise of Regional Lenders 27:08 Lending Across States 28:50 Bank Credit Line Trends 31:18 Switching to Debt Funds 33:03 2025 Market Predictions 36:24 Will There Be Enough Deals 38:30 Looser Terms and Risk 41:00 Real Volume vs DSCR 42:20 DSCR Funded Loans 44:27 Final Thoughts and Events

Charlie Einsman, Co-Founder of Clear Sky Financial spoke with Rocky Butani to share some insights about real estate investing and lending in the DMV region (DC, Maryland, Virginia). Find out what's happening with real estate in each of the 3 states (2025 Q1), learn about Clear Sky's unique lending program for real estate investors, and more.Visit Clear Sky's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/clear-sky-financial/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #9 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/00:00 Intro & Guest Overview   00:43 DMV Market Snapshot   01:46 Northern Virginia Trends   02:48 DC Market Challenges   04:18 Maryland Market Overview   05:09 Lending by Neighborhood   06:13 Central Virginia Outlook   07:53 Fredericksburg Heat Map   09:02 DC Office Space Collapse   11:03 Reviving Downtown DC   12:07 Hot DC Neighborhoods   12:53 Baltimore Insights   14:12 Lending in Low-Value Areas   16:21 First-Time Buyer Programs   18:09 Investing in Annapolis   19:49 Gaithersburg to Frederick   21:48 Buy & Hold Criteria   23:25 Why Rentals Don’t Cash Flow   26:04 Clear Sky Loan Program   29:10 Flexible Lending Approach   30:56 Vetting New Investors   32:38 Liquidity & Cash at Close   33:56 Pre-Draw Funding Explained   35:22 Draw Process & Inspections   36:42 Rates, Points & Flexibility   38:42 Extensions & Loan Terms   40:24 Lending to Foreign Nationals   42:47 Foreclosure Scenarios   44:48 Loan Amount Ranges   46:15 Regional vs. National Lenders   47:39 Fees & Speed to Close   49:59 Meet the Clear Sky Team   51:31 How They're Funded   54:07 2025 Market Forecast   56:07 Tech Driving Demand   57:09 Final Thoughts & Contact Info

Jeff Tesch, CEO of RCN Capital spoke with Rocky Butani to share some insights about a variety of topics in private lending: 2024 loan volume, interest rates, insurance challenges, multifamily financing, 2025 predictions, RCN's wholesale program and more. RCN is mostly a wholesale lender serving loan originators, and they have a small retail division which is around 15% of their total loan volume. Around 75% of their lending is DSCR long-term rental loans and 25% is bridge loans, including fix & flip and ground-up construction.Visit RCN's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/rcn-capital/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastThis interview is Episode #8 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

Rocky Butani provides a report about private lending and Lender Link: thoughts about 2024, predictions for 2025, updates on our podcast, a few new lenders that were recently added to PrivateLenderLink.com, our new AI project and industry conferences. Visit this page on our website to see a list of all the private lending conferences in 2025: https://pllk.io/evpl.

In the 6th episode of the Private Lending Insights Podcast, Rocky Butani interviewed Marc Rouda and Alexis Rouda from Security Financial Services to learn all about private lending in Northern California. They talked about their loan program, Bay Area private money trends, tenants in common deals in San Francisco and more. The company was established in 1943 and is based in San Francisco.Visit Security Financial Services’ profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/security-financial-services/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastConnect with Marc Rouda on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-rouda-60174/Connect with Alexis Rouda on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-rouda-18738b23/00:00 Intro   00:44 Lending Programs   01:59 Loan Types   03:54 Terms & Rates   07:20 LTV Guidelines   08:48 Rehab Loans   10:22 Underwriting   11:39 Appraisals & Recourse   13:59 Borrower Requirements   15:28 Site Visits   17:20 Closing Timelines   19:31 Company History   22:05 Direct Lending   23:39 Servicing   24:29 Pricing & Relationships   26:43 Deal Example: Mixed Use   31:38 Deal Example: TIC   39:44 TIC vs Condo   43:32 Condo Conversion Rules   45:33 TIC Investment   46:41 Market Trends   50:21 2025 Outlook   55:57 Lending Areas   58:31 Closing

In the 5th episode of the Private Lending Insights podcast, Rocky Butani interviewed Jeremiah Wiedman and Erik Brown from Center Street Lending to learn all about ground-up construction for residential investment properties and small multifamily properties throughout the United States. We talk about trends in 2024-2025, requirements to get a loan, the pricing structure, costs, draw process, ADU building and additions in California and more.Visit Center Street's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/center-street-lending/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastConnect with Jeremiah Wiedman on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiah-wiedman-47b16533/Connect with Erik Brown on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-brown-07505196/

In the 4th episode of the Private Lending Insights podcast, Rocky Butani interviewed John Santilli from Rehab Financial Group to learn all about their 100% financing loan program for residential real estate investors. We go in-depth to cover all the requirements, the pricing structure, costs, draw process and much more.Visit RFG's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/rehab-financial-group/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastAs of January 2025, Rehab Financial Group lends in 18 states: AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, MD, MO, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA. They do not lend in Cleveland or Baltimore. The property must be a residential investment property (1-4 units) situated in a metropolitan area. Rural locations will not be considered. They require borrowers have to a minimum FICO score of 650. Experience is not required.

Rocky Butani interviewed Jennifer Young, Partner at Fortra Law, to learn which states require a licensed to originate private mortgages (aka hard money loans) secured by investment real estate. Fortra Law is the largest law firm in the United States for private lending and offers a variety of legal services - compliance, licensing, securities law, fund formation, loan documents, litigation and more.Visit Fortra's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more about their services: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/fortra-law/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast00:00 Intro 00:40 Guest Intro 01:20 Why Licensing Matters 02:00 States Requiring All Licensing 02:40 States Requiring Residential Licensing 03:40 Broker vs Lender Rules 04:20 North Carolina Notes 05:10 California Licensing 07:00 CFL vs DRE 09:30 Nevada Licensing 12:00 Nevada Qualified Employee 13:45 Arizona Licensing 15:05 Broker Compensation Limits 16:50 Oregon Licensing 18:20 Lending in Oregon 19:00 Idaho Licensing 20:20 Utah Licensing 21:30 Minnesota Licensing 22:30 Vermont Licensing 23:40 Dakotas Licensing 24:50 Renewals and Audits 26:30 State Exceptions 28:30 Final Thoughts 29:30 Recap and Sponsor 

Rocky Butani interviewed Dave Orloff, CEO of American Heritage Lending, a national direct private lending company based in Irvine, California. They offer a variety of financing options to residential real estate investors in 45 states: DSCR 30-year rental loans, fix & flip, ground-up construction and short-term bridge loans. The company has grown immensely in the past 2 years and is now one of the top 10 lenders in the United States in terms of loan volume. Learn about the company's recent growth, their operation and Dave's thoughts on private lending for 2025.Visit American Heritage Lending's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more about their lending guidelines: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/american-heritage-lending/?utm_source=lender-link-podcastLoan originators interested in a DSCR third-party origination wholesale program can learn more on this website:https://ahlendtpo.com/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast00:00 Intro 01:14 Company Background 02:00 Growth Since 2018 03:57 Loan Volume Surge 05:11 Billion Dollar Milestone 06:54 Q3 2024 Rankings 09:16 High Rates and High Volume 11:17 Industry Demand Trends 13:02 Loan Type Breakdown 14:58 DSCR Popularity 16:26 Wholesale vs Retail 18:49 Wholesale Platform 20:12 Team and Locations 22:19 Michigan Office 24:00 Fix and Flip Outlook 25:30 Short Term Lending Challenges 27:29 DSCR in 2025 28:33 Market Predictions 30:17 Wrap Up 

In the first episode of Private Lending Insights, Rocky Butani, provides an introduction and overview of the podcast, which is hosted by Lender Link. We operate PrivateLenderLink.com, a website were real estate investors and mortgage brokers find direct private lending companies (aka hard money lenders) throughout the United States.