Private Lending Insights

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-podcast

Connect 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-podcast

Connect 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-podcast

Connect 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-podcast

Connect 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-podcast

This 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-podcast

This 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-podcast

Connect 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-podcast

Connect 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-podcast

As 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.