Private Lending Insights

Rocky Butani interviews Boris Dorfman, fund manager and partner at LBC Capital, about the state of private lending and real estate investing in 2026. The conversation explores why transaction volume has slowed in 2026, how elevated interest rates are affecting residential and commercial real estate, and how private lenders are adapting their underwriting and lending strategies. They also discuss LBC Capital’s lending activity in 2026, geographic expansion beyond California, leverage and credit requirements, construction completion financing, second mortgages, and the evolution of the company and its mortgage fund.

Visit LBC Capital's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: 
https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/lbc-capital/

Rocky Butani interviews Nema Daghbandan, CEO of Lightning Docs and Partner at Fortra Law, for a data-driven look at the private lending market in 2026. Nema shares what Lightning Docs is seeing across more than 300 lender clients, including trends in RTL and DSCR loan volume, interest rates, competition, foreclosures, and fraud. They also discuss the Figure acquisition of Kiavi, how AI is changing lending technology and legal workflows, and Lightning Docs’ recent milestone of surpassing $100 billion in loan originations.

Visit Lightning Docs' profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: 
https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/lightning-docs/

This interview is Episode #32 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/.

In this episode of Private Lending Insights, Rocky Butani interviews Jeff Tesch, CEO of RCN Capital, one of the nation’s largest private lenders and a leading wholesale lender serving mortgage brokers. Jeff shares RCN’s outlook on the private lending market, the states seeing the strongest lending activity, and why ground-up construction continues to be one of the biggest opportunities for investors. The conversation also covers RCN’s new Structured Finance Group, capital markets, portfolio lending, and trends shaping residential investment lending in 2026.

Learn about RCN's White Label Wholesale program: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/rcn-capital-correspondent/

This interview is Episode #31 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

In this episode of Private Lending Insights, Rocky Butani interviews Kirill Bensonoff, CEO and founder of New Silver, a technology-driven private lender based in Connecticut. Kirill shares how New Silver evolved from building loan origination software into a nationwide private lender funding fix & flip, ground-up construction, and DSCR loans. 

The conversation covers lending trends, AI and automation, New Silver's proprietary technology, and its growing white label program for brokers and lenders. They also discuss where the private lending industry is headed as AI transforms underwriting, borrower interactions, and loan origination.

Visit New Silver's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them:  https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/new-silver/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

Learn about New Silver's White Label Wholesale program: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/new-silver-wholesale/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

This interview is Episode #30 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

Rocky Butani interviews Kevin Kim, Partner at Fortra Law and one of the leading securities attorneys advising private lenders and mortgage fund managers. We discussed rising defaults, increasing competition, and key risks facing private lenders in 2026. We also talk about a mortgage fund in Northern California that recently collapsed, what investors should look for, and why transparency, third-party administration, and audited financials are becoming essential. Kevin shares insights on distressed debt opportunities and how lenders are adapting as the market evolves.

Visit Fortra Law's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/fortra-law/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast 

This interview is Episode #29 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

Rocky Butani interviews Shafiq Taymuree from Stonecrest Financial, a California-based private lending firm with nearly $300 million in annual loan originations. They talked about Stonecrest’s unique lending programs, including consumer bridge loans that allow homeowners to buy a new property before selling their existing home, as well as a revolving line of credit program used by real estate investors and business owners. The conversation also covers specific guidelines for the 2 programs, California lending trends, and the company’s capital model that has supported their private lending operations for decades.

Visit Stonecrest's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: 

https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/stonecrest-financial/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

This interview is Episode #28 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

Rocky Butani talks with Robert “Alex” Baker and Kent Liggitt from Coastal Equity Group, a direct private lending firm based in Charleston, South Carolina. They discuss Coastal Equity’s rapid growth, closing over $200M in annual loan volume (mostly ground-up construction), trends they are seeing, capital markets, their lending guidelines, and the Southeast markets seeing the most development activity. 

Visit Coastal Equity's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/coastal-equity-group/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

This interview is Episode #27 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

Rocky Butani talks with Christian Faes, CEO of F2 Finance, LLC. Christian shares his journey from founding and scaling a multi-billion-dollar U.K. lending platform (LendInvest) to launching F2 Finance in the United States. The conversation covers F2’s balance sheet lending model, bridge loan guidelines, land and commercial deal appetite, state-by-state strategy, and how they compete in a highly competitive private lending market. We also dive into F2’s capital structure, fund model, foreclosure philosophy, and what Christian sees ahead for private lending in 2026.

Visit F2's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/f2-finance-llc/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

This interview is Episode #26 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/

Rocky Butani interviews Melissa Martorella, Esq., Partner at Fortra Law, for a deep dive into wholesale capital structures in private lending.

Melissa breaks down the legal and compliance considerations behind wholesale lending, white labeling, table funding, and correspondent lending, with a focus on residential transition loans (aka hard money). The conversation covers state licensing requirements, borrower disclosures, liability risks, and how lenders and brokers can structure their businesses correctly while scaling nationwide.

This episode is essential listening for private lenders, brokers, capital providers and others navigating wholesale lending models.

Visit Fortra Law's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/fortra-law/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

This interview is Episode #25 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/.

Rocky Butani talks with Bryan Ziegenfuse and Chris Tereo, Co-Founders of i Fund Cities, a national private lender based in Philadelphia. They discuss the company’s impressive 2025 growth, funding close to $900 million in private loans, their boots-on-the-ground expansion strategy, and trends in construction, fix & flip, and DSCR lending. The conversation also covers market forecasts for 2026, delinquency trends, loan program details, and i Fund Cities’ approach to capital markets and customer experience.

Visit iFC's profile on PrivateLenderLink.com to learn more and to contact them: https://privatelenderlink.com/profile/ifundcities/?utm_source=lender-link-podcast

This interview is Episode #24 of the Private Lending Insights Podcast: https://podcast.privatelenderlink.com/.