AAPL is established as the first professional trade association for the private lending industry. 

We host our first Annual Conference at Caesars Palace Las Vegas (just 18 in attendance)!

Our Origin Story

We begin laying the foundation.

AAPLonline.com goes live!

The logo you know and love is also revealed.

AAPL reaches proof of concept with consistent growth. 

Our membership now incudes over 70 members.

131 industry professionals attend the Annual Conference.

AAPL enters its building years.

AAPL publishes its first issue of Private Lender, the industry’s first trade magazine.

Membership reaches 108 seats.

We launch the first industry-specific credentialing with the Certified Private Lender Associate Course.

Linda Hyde, the association’s future president, joins AAPL as member relations coordinator.

We continue to identify needs for accessible education, industry insight, and best practice guidance.

Credentialing efforts continue with the launch of the Certified Fund Manager course for in-person instruction.

Private Lender magazine is digitized into the online post archive (still available in print as a free subscription).

AAPL leads the way by making most education free and public to better safeguard the industry.

We host our first webinar (topic: loss mitigation).

Industry professionals peruse AAPL’s first educational newsletter, which continues to have an average open rate of over 40%.

The Ethics Committee holds its inaugural meeting to begin setting private lending standards of practice.

AAPL deploys the industry’s first credentialing/fraud-battling effort via the Member Emblem.

Eddie Wilson joins AAPL as CEO and minority owner, alongside current majority owner Mike Wrenn and minority owners Anthony Geraci and Jack Rollins.

No association is an island: We recognize the need for partnership to fully support our membership.

After a year+ of negotiation, AAPL launches its signature Member Discount Program in partnership with prominent industry service providers.

AAPL knows our members know best: we rely on you for industry insight.

Our Excellence Awards (the first such honors among private lenders) becomes the gold standard for distinction.

The industry’s first Education Committee holds its inaugural meeting; they are our boots-on-the-ground advisors on what tangible guidance professionals need in the current landscape.

If you don’t have a voice, others will speak for you.

AAPL establishes the Government Relations Committee to guide state and federal advocacy efforts.
AAPL wins licensing battlegrounds in Florida.

Members get a resource refresh with the addition of downloadable templates and a new compliance center.

We unveil optional member background checks as an added layer of borrower protection.

We host our largest Annual Conference with 556 attendees.

We hit our stride — but don’t rest on our laurels.

We block two more licensing bills in Florida and stall New York’s flip tax initiative.

The Government Relations Dashboard launches for advocacy transparency.

Members meet with Congressional staffers during our inaugural Day on the Hill.

The Certified Fund Manager course goes online.

The Member Directory gets a facelift with company descriptions, contact info, photos, and more.

We host our largest conference (556 attendees).

Eddie Wilson purchases majority ownership in AAPL, with Anthony Geraci retaining a minority stake.

Unprecedented times reveal indomitable spirit.

In response to COVID-19, we host a resource series and consolidate guidance from partners.

The SEC cites our comments in their new rules to expand the definition of “accredited investor.”

We prevent CA business-purpose loan forbearance.

Members gain access to a new video archive.

We introduce the industry’s first publicly-accessible Ethics complaint system.

The Vendor Guide launches as the first “yellow pages” for private lender-focused products and services.

Private lenders earn big wins through education and a strong grassroots voice.

Our “Save Reg D” initiative … saves Reg D.

We continue to block business-purpose licensing, this time in New York, while defeating self-servicing licensing in Colorado.

Semantics matter: AAPL leads advocacy to replace “hard money” with “private lending.”

We again host our largest conference with 664 attendees.

We grow our efforts alongside the industry’s needs.

We battle New York’s reintroduction of business-purpose licensing bills.

California attempts to introduce anti-flip tax regulation.

Certified Private Lender Associate arrives online.

The Ethics Committee recommends the expansion of our Code of Ethics with three key changes.

We again host our largest-ever event (696 attendees).

We double down on efforts to safeguard the industry.

Congress seeks to adopt anti-investor (and anti-tenant) legislation.

The battle against New York business-purpose licensing continues.

AAPL launches an industry fraud protection program to monitor for members’ cloned sites and bad actors’ use of our credentials to defraud borrowers.

Two new broadcast series share data and insight: State of the Industry and Fund Manager Form.

We bring our collaborative roundtables to professionals nationwide — free.

Another largest-ever conference with 751 attendees!

Linda Hyde is announced as AAPL’s president, with majority owner Eddie Wilson and minority owner Anthony Geraci stepping into Chairman and Vice Chairman roles, respectively.

Always a work in progress! This year:

Congress proposes another anti-investor (and anti-tenant) bill.

We’re working to fix CA loan modifications.

We are in the planning stages for our new Borrower Fraud Steering Committee.

Both members and non-members may post and reply to positions via the new AAPL Jobs Board.