Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
The podcast that gives an exclusive look beyond the title of private lending industry leaders.
Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim
Latest Episode
From Regulation to Resilience: How CMA Champions California Lenders
In this episode of Lender Lounge, host Kevin Kim sits down with Brad Laddusaw of S&L Capital Group and Brock VandenBerg of TaliMar 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 complexities of lending regulation in California, the role and value of CMA in advocacy and education, the evolution of loan products, and the importance of industry collaboration. The episode offers candid insights into the challenges, nuances, and opportunities in one of the country’s most tightly regulated yet influential lending markets.
From Regulation to Resilience: How CMA Champions California Lenders
In this episode of Lender Lounge, host Kevin Kim sits down with Brad Laddusaw of S&L Capital Group and Brock VandenBerg of TaliMar 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 complexities of lending regulation in California, the role and value of CMA in advocacy and education, the evolution of loan products, and the importance of industry collaboration. The episode offers candid insights into the challenges, nuances, and opportunities in one of the country’s most tightly regulated yet influential lending markets.
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Meet the Host
Kevin Kim, Esq.
Kevin Kim is a Partner with Fortra Law and leads the firm's corporate & securities practice. His expertise lies in fund formation, private placements, and other securities offerings for private lenders, real estate developers, and investors of all sizes. Kevin and his team have advised and prepared hundreds of securities offerings including mortgage funds, structured debt offerings, real estate syndications, crowdfunding offerings, EB-5 projects, and Qualified Opportunity Funds. Kevin's passion lies in serving his clients as a pragmatic advisor focusing on real world solutions.
Kevin is also a nationally recognized expert in mortgage fund formation. Kevin is the lead instructor for the American Association of Private Lender’s Certified Fund Manager courses, where he teaches mortgage fund managers throughout the United States on fund management and securities laws.
Kevin hosts the podcast Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim, where he interviews industry leaders, friends, and colleagues in the private lending space to learn what makes them tick.
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Recognitions
Previous Episodes
Altruistic Entrepreneur | Eddie Wilson, American Association of Private Lenders
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Eddie Wilson, CEO of AAPL and Think Realty. Kevin learned more about Eddie’s personal life, such as his passion for operations, turning businesses around, and choosing businesses that serve a higher purpose. Eddie discussed what he has done to grow AAPL’s footprint and how he installed the grassroots advocacy that allowed AAPL to defeat legislation such as the Florida licensing bill.
Investing in “Personnel” Assets | Justin Ehrlich, Churchill Real Estate
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Justin Ehrlich, founding partner at Churchill Real Estate. Kevin learned more about Churchill’s history as an NPL buyer and how they came to be an asset manager and capital provider to the private lending industry. Justin also dove into the story behind Churchill’s meteoric rise.
Pragmatic Mindset | Jennifer McGuinness, Invigorate Finance
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Jennifer McGuinness, President of Invigorate Finance. Kevin had a great time learning about Jennifer and how her mortgage career was actually a series of “accidents.” Invigorate Finance is a unique private lending business that serves both the consumer and business purpose lending arenas; Jennifer discusses the reasons for this strategy and her philosophy of diversification and pragmatism in approaching her business.
Operational Efficiency | Lisa Alberti and Mark Roberts, Western Alliance Bank
*NOTE: This episode was recorded in June 2022.*
Kevin was delighted to finally interview Mark Roberts and Lisa Alberti from Western Alliance Bank, a company that has become an integral part of the private lending industry. In this episode, Kevin talks to Mark and Lisa about the bank’s history, their backgrounds, and their bank’s philosophy on lender finance and line of credit. Lisa also discusses the new networking group, Women in Private Lending, and the impact a group like this will have on women in this space.
Reliable Capital | Ray Sturm, AlphaFlow
For this episode, which was recorded during the market volatility of May 2022, Ray Sturm and Kevin sat down and discussed AlphaFlow’s thesis from a technology standpoint, their philosophy when it comes to solving their customer’s challenges, and having discipline when it comes to an ever-changing market.
Special Mini Episode | Ruby Keys, Fortra Law
We’re dropping this mini episode in your feed to give some insight into Captivate, Geracicon’s upcoming private lending event. Kevin is joined by Ruby Keys, Geraci’s event extraordinaire, to discuss why it is a perfect opportunity for our listeners. Listen in to learn about the event’s capital-raising theme, nationwide attendee presence, and success stories from past years (including Kevin’s!).
Captivate will take place August 21-23, 2022 at the Encore at Wynn in Las Vegas, NV.
More info and registration can be found at our website: https://geracicon.com/captivate
The Greatest Asset | Ryan Craft, Saluda Grade
*NOTE: This episode was recorded in May 2022.*
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Ryan Craft, Founder and CEO of Saluda Grade. He learned about Saluda’s investment philosophies when it comes to private lenders, their criteria when selecting portfolio companies, and Ryan’s perspectives on where things are going and should go in the private lending space. His views on future success in private lending was especially enjoyable. Ryan stressed that diversification in strategy, obsession with customer service, and entrepreneurialism will be some of the key features of the private lenders that dominate in the coming years.
Passionate Visionary | Trixy Castro, Aureus Finance Group
*NOTE: This episode was recorded in May 2022.*
We are kicking off Season 3 with none other than Trixy Castro, founder and CEO of Aureus Finance Group. We were honored to sit down with this industry legend in person and learn more about Trixy and her history as an entrepreneur founding Genesis Capital and Hudson Marshall in the early days of private lending. We learned all about her new vision for Aureus, including how she approached her re-entry into the market after taking a few years off. Trixy has achieved so much in the industry yet maintains a level of entrepreneurialism and excitement about private lending and what it stands for.
Special LIVE Episode | Mid-Year Outlook with Daren Blomquist & Rick Sharga
The Lender Lounge with Kevin Kim podcast hosted a special livestream featuring industry legends Daren Blomquist, VP of Market Economics at Auction.com and Rick Sharga, Executive Vice President at ATTOM.
Watch the recording of May 18th LIVE episode and hear these industry leaders’ thoughts on housing demand, build to rent, interest rates, inflation, and everyone’s favorite doomsday question: is a recession coming?
Renaissance Man | Dennis Baranowski, Fortra Law
Dennis Baranowski, renowned as The Beard and The Wise One, brings his multi-faceted expertise to the forefront on Season 2’s Finale. A powerhouse in banking and finance, the Fortra Law Partner reveals his mastery in litigation, foreclosure, TCPA, and bankruptcy. As a special treat, Kevin poses questions from some of Dennis’ cherished clients. Don’t miss this episode filled with insights, laughter, and a touch of wisdom to conclude Season 2 on a high note!
Swapping War Stories | Tom and Steve, Fortra Law
In this special episode, we are joined by two of Fortra’s esteemed attorneys, Tom Hajda and Steven Ernest. Both men wear many hats (literally) in their roles as private lending attorneys and bring a wealth of experience and unique perspectives to the table. Tune in to hear their insights and advice.
Leading By Example | Tricia Mitchell, Archwest
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Tricia Mitchell, Archwest Capital’s President and COO. Tricia dove into how she started as an intern fresh out of law school and worked her way up to becoming the President and COO of Archwest. She discussed the company’s strategy of starting out small and focusing on methodical growth over the years and emphasized that Archwest’s success stems from listening to its client’s needs above all.
Diversification is Key | Mark Jury, Sortis Holdings
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Mark Jury with Sortis Holdings. Mark discussed the details of Sortis’ business and how they are servicing private lenders as an advisor. He also gave perspective on the current market conditions and his take on institutional investors in private lending.
Profitable Business Verticals | Keith Lind, Acra Lending
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Keith Lind, CEO of Acra Lending. Keith talked about working at Bear Stearns and his journey to becoming Acra’s CEO. Keith also discussed his perspective on the private lending industry and how he views the housing market at large.
Game Changer | Paul Rahimian, Parkview Financial
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Paul Rahimian, who has become a household name in the construction business, at Parkview Financials’ headquarters in West Los Angeles. Paul emphasized how he has remained true to his original thesis of creativity and capital preservation, even as he now competes with institutional lenders across the U.S.
Lend to Live | Beth Johnson & Alex Breshears, Flynn Family Lending / Lend2Live
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Beth Johnson and Alex Breshears to talk about their newest book, Lend2Live, and the story behind the book. The three discussed the industry’s dislocation, the importance of small, local lenders, and the difference between “private money lending” and “hard money lending / private lending.”
Altruistic Entrepreneur | Eddie Wilson, American Association of Private Lenders
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Eddie Wilson, CEO of AAPL and Think Realty. Kevin learned more about Eddie’s personal life, such as his passion for operations, turning businesses around, and choosing businesses that serve a higher purpose. Eddie discussed what he has done to grow AAPL’s footprint and how he installed the grassroots advocacy that allowed AAPL to defeat legislation such as the Florida licensing bill.
Investing in “Personnel” Assets | Justin Ehrlich, Churchill Real Estate
For this episode, Kevin interviewed Justin Ehrlich, founding partner at Churchill Real Estate. Kevin learned more about Churchill’s history as an NPL buyer and how they came to be an asset manager and capital provider to the private lending industry. Justin also dove into the story behind Churchill’s meteoric rise.