As 2020 closes, any reflection of the past months reaches the same conclusion: This. Year. Has. Been. Hard.

The thing that’s held us together is that regardless of what’s going on in the wider world, we know our members and the industry count on us to keep going.

Especially during the coronavirus crisis, we have provided triage to businesses looking for resources to help them navigate the ever-changing landscape. And during it all, we
have kept an eye on initiatives that will build up the industry when the recent crisis is in the rearview mirror.

As always, our recent work falls into our association pillars of Education, Ethics,
and Advocacy.

Education // Outside of this magazine, our annual conference (aaplconference.com) remains one of our largest, regular education initiatives. And, yes, we are hosting the conference in Las Vegas Nov. 15-16, and livestreaming it for those who can’t attend in person. Check out the Conference Preview on page 32.

On Nov. 16, we will be launching the industry’s first benchmark survey from an
impartial, nonpartisan organization (read more about it on page 22). With the help
of our Education Advisory Committee, we designed a streamlined survey to dial into
the data that lenders, researchers, and legislators have been asking for. Sign up at aaplonline.com/survey.

Ethics // AAPL continues to be the only national organization setting—and enforcing—ethical standards for the private lending industry. Year to date, we’ve received two
formal complaints against members, and a slew of informal complaints against non-members. The member complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of the parties involved. The informal complaints were largely made against scammers, and AAPL directed affected parties to the appropriate legal remedies.

We’ve expanded our Code of Ethics with advice on what such violations might look like and how to avoid them. The most recent discussion from Ethics Committee member Mike Hanna is on page 58.

Advocacy // It’s been a big year for our Government Relations Committee. It launched a battle in New York against a steep fix-and-flip transfer tax, had their comments cited in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s final rules on the expanded definition of “accredited investor” (see the recap on page 82) and won a battle in California against mandatory 12-month forbearances (see article on page 70). See what the GRC considers to be the industry’s biggest upcoming legislative challenges on page 76.

If you’re thinking, “It sounds like AAPL’s advisory committees are impacting the industry,” I couldn’t have put it better myself. See why they do what they do on page
48, and then consider applying for a 2021-2022 committee position.

Finally, thank you for being dedicated to keeping the pulse of the private lending industry. We look forward to serving you in the years to come.

Linda Hyde
Managing Director, American Association of Private Lenders