Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim

Ezra Dweck , President and Co-Founder of  IceCap  Group, joins Kevin Kim on this episode of Lender Lounge to discuss the evolution of private lending, the importance of disciplined underwriting, and the changing dynamics of the RTL and DSCR markets. Ezra shares how  IceCap  began as a family office deploying capital into real estate before transitioning into one of the Northeast's established priv...

Chris Haddon  and  Jason Balin  of Hard Money Bankers join Kevin Kim on this episode of Lender Lounge to discuss their  nearly 20-year  journey building a private lending business rooted in conservative underwriting and private capital. Starting in 2007 during the  early stages  of the  financial crisis , they share how they scaled through disciplined deal structures, strong investor relationships...

Matt Medrano  and  Justin Rocheleau , co-founders of Dynamo Capital, join Kevin Kim live at  Fortra  Con in Las Vegas to discuss their rapid rise as a Midwest-based private lender. Starting from residential mortgage and brokerage backgrounds, the duo  share  how frustrations with traditional lending channels led them to launch their own fund and build a balance sheet lending business. They unpack...

Fred Rea , Founder of Ra in City Capital, and Ian Morell , Partner since 2013, join Kevin Kim to t ra ce Ra in City's path from courthouse-step hard money lending in Washington to becoming a national private lender. They discuss their early days funding foreclosure auctions, the decision during COVID to expand beyond the Pacific Northwest, and the push to access institutional capital through secur...

Linda Hyde , President of the American Association of Private Lenders (AAPL), joins Kevin Kim to kick off Season 6 of Lender Lounge. In this episode, Linda shares her journey from leading a call center to spearheading one of the most influential organizations in private lending. She reflects on transforming AAPL from a niche "good old boys club" into a national platform for ethics, education, and...

In this solo wrap-up episode, Kevin Kim reflects on key trends and challenges the private lending industry faced in 2025 while sharing predictions and recommendations for 2026. From increased borrower fraud and rising defaults in major markets to the growth of in-house servicing and securitization opportunities for independent lenders, Kevin explores how lenders can adapt to shifting conditions. H...

In this episode of Lender Lounge, host Kevin Kim sits down with Brad Laddusaw of SNL Capital Group and Brock VandenBerg of Talamar Financial for a dynamic discussion on the realities of private lending in California. Both guests bring unique perspectives—Brad as the President of the California Mortgage Association (CMA) and Brock as a seasoned fund manager. They explore topics such as the complexi...

Wes Carpenter, Managing Partner at Stormfield Capital, joins Kevin Kim in this episode of Lender Lounge. With a background in multifamily investing and over a decade in private lending, Wes shares the unique story of building Stormfield into a contrarian, institutional-grade lender. Unlike many of its peers, Stormfield operates as a true balance sheet lender with no structural leverage or loan sal...

"Sam" Sarkis Chivitchian is the founder and CEO of Secured Capital Lending, a direct private lending firm specializing in private money and hard money loan products — including fix and flip, construction loans, DSCR, commercial bridge, land loans, and asset-based financing. With over 20 years of experience in real estate and finance and more than 1,200+ transactions closed, Sam has become a recogn...

Charlie Woo, President of Fidelity Bancorp Funding , joins Kevin Kim in this episode of Lender Lounge. With a deep background in investment banking and a pivotal role in past industry-shaping transactions, Charlie shares why he moved from Wall Street to private lending. Fidelity Bridge Loans focuses on small-balance bridge loans for commercial real estate with an emphasis on multifamily and busine...

In this special pre-Captivate episode of Lender Lounge, Fortra Law Partners Kevin Kim, Jennifer Young, and Nema Daghbandan trade industry insights, leadership philosophies, and plenty of jabs in a no-holds-barred "roast" of their own. Set against the backdrop of Captivate 2025, this episode blends serious economic forecasting with personal stories from the trio's time building Fortra Law. From mar...

Kendra Rommel, co-founder of Futures Financial, joins Geraci Partner Jen and Geraci Attorney Nichole for a special "She-Shed" takeover episode of Lender Lounge. Kendra shares her unconventional path from retail to mortgage lending, her early operations experience, and the strategic decisions behind launching Futures with her partner David Rosenberg. The conversation explores balancing personal lif...

Kevin Kim hosts a special episode of Lender Lounge on location at Renovo Financial's Top Gun Event in Los Angeles. Joined by Paul Shaughnessy, a top originator at Renovo, and Kevin Werner, CEO of Renovo Financial, the discussion delves into Renovo's culture of employee investment, relationship-driven lending, and long-term growth strategy. The guests highlight Renovo's commitment to local market e...

In this episode of Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim, Briana Hildt, CEO and Founder of Cardinal Capital Group, joins the show to share her remarkable journey in private lending. From starting in asset management to becoming one of Massachusetts' leading private lenders, Briana discusses how she transitioned from a loan broker to launching and scaling her own lending business. She provides insight into...

In this episode of Lender Lounge , Kevin Kim interviews Daniel Guimont, CEO of Guimont Capital, and Kirsten Lundell Koester, the company's Chief Legal Officer, at their Bellevue office. Daniel and Kirsten share Guimont Capital's journey from its roots as Las Vegas Loans to becoming a diversified lender focused on high-value, diverse projects across the U.S., from real estate to business acquisitio...

Kevin Kim hosts a live episode of Lender Lounge from the Captivate Conference at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. Joining him are industry veterans Evan Stone, CEO of Champions Funding and Chairman of Community Savings, Dustin Wells, President of Dominion Financial Services Wholesale, and Dave Orloff, CEO of American Heritage Lending. This discussion explores the evolving landscape of private lendin...

In this episode of Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim, Mike Hoffman, CEO and President of Longhorn Investments, joins Kevin to share his journey into private lending and the growth of Longhorn Investments. Starting from a background in law with no real estate experience, Mike stumbled into the world of hard money lending during the 2008 financial crisis. He shares the origins of Longhorn Investments, it...

In this episode of Lender Lounge, Kevin Kim welcomes back Ben Fertig. Ben is the founder and President of Constructive Capital, the leading national capital provider for DSCR Rental Loans and Residential Transitional Loans (RTL or Fix and Flip Loans). Prior to Constructive, Ben led Credit and Asset Management at Finance of America Commercial; and, before that, he served as Chief Operator Officer o...

The Lender Lounge is pleased to host a special guest speaker series. Leading up to our next season, we have John Beacham of Toorak Capital Partners as our guest for an open conversation about his career and success.   John Beacham, CEO of Toorak Capital Partners, joins Kevin Kim for a special episode of Lender Lounge, produced in collaboration with the American Association of Private Lenders. John...

In this concluding episode of Season 4, Kevin Kim reflects on the insights gained from our guests and addresses common questions from our listeners, particularly those new to private lending. Kevin discusses licensing for private lenders, emphasizing the variation in requirements across states and the importance of compliance and understanding securities laws, even when raising funds from family a...

Beth O'Brien, a dynamic leader and innovator in the private lending industry, joins Kevin Kim on this episode of Lender Lounge. With her rich background in law, real estate, and securitization, Beth currently spearheads Encore Finance Capital. Her journey encompasses an impressive trajectory from working at renowned institutions like Goldman Sachs and Citi to pioneering her own private lending ven...

Adham Sbeih is an exemplary leader in the private lending industry. As CEO of Socotra Capital, he has built the company to a team of 33 and roughly $500 million in capital distributed across four funds, positioning it as a dynamic lender and trusted partner for their clients. In this episode, Kevin Kim and co-host Nema Daghbandan sit down with Adham to discuss where his lending journey began, the...

In this episode, Kevin Kim engages in a dynamic conversation with Matt Podesto and Brock VandenBerg, two successful private lenders who have taken the leap into fund management. From the early days of local hard money lending to the influx of institutional capital and white label programs, our guests provide valuable insights into the changing landscape and how it has affected the present. They em...

The leadership at Geraci LLP collectively has decades upon decades of private lending industry experience. For this episode, Kevin asked Geraci's seasoned professionals to offer their foresight into the private lending industry for 2024 – what does the industry need to know as we head into the new year? Kevin and the Geraci team explore anticipated economic trends, such as preparing for potential...

For this episode, our host Kevin Kim welcomes industry experts Erica LaCentra and Rocky Butani for a deep dive into the nuanced world of private lending marketing. They highlight the importance of industry conferences and share insights on how emerging companies and entrepreneurs can smartly use marketing to stand out in a crowded field. With a focus on the power of content marketing, targeted ema...