The industry is focused on strengthening itself rather than rebuilding. On March 19, 2020, California announced the nation’s first statewide shelter-in-place order. Within weeks, 44 more states followed suit. The national economy was effectively shut down. In the private lending industry, where we think of ourselves as insulated from Wall Street’s whims, we were quickly [...]
Helping clients build wealth and staying ahead of industry change motivate the Forino brothers. It’s said that opposites attract. In the case of Lou and Raffaele Forino, their completely different business backgrounds have benefited them as they’ve built Gauntlet Funding. The brothers were born and raised in Queens, New York. They chose careers in different [...]
Be diligent about the impact of loan modifications and foreclosures during the coronavirus pandemic. The passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act led to an increase in the number of private lending funds converting to mortgage REITs over the past two years. Fund managers made the conversion decision by carefully weighing whether the tax [...]
Selling notes to IRA investors is similar to selling notes to an individual, with one large exception: The self-directed IRA ecosystem lacks direct methods to get in front of account holders. An IRA (whether traditional or Roth, SEP or SIMPLE) can purchase existing notes. So can a Solo 401(k) or an HSA (health savings account). [...]
How to write a call to action that will produce leads. You may be able to produce an engaging marketing piece for your customers; however, you will not get clicks, conversions, lending applications or any other initiative you want to accomplish if you don’t have a well-defined call that drives consumers to action. For most [...]
Here’s what a CIO can do to prepare for compliance with the new California law governing how personal consumer information is handled. On Jan. 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect, placing a new compliance burden on companies for the way they gather, store and disseminate information. Passed to provide more [...]
Visit aaplonline.com/ethics for more on our Code of Ethics Mike Hanna, Managing Partner, Investmark Mortgage, LLC “Bait and switch” lending and truth in advertising are the top ethical challenges in the marketplace today. There are more lenders now than there were just a few years ago, and the lending environment has become hypercompetitive in some [...]
AAPL can help you identify scammers and offers important tips for curtailing their activity. “Hello, you’ve reached the American Association of Private Lenders. How can I help you?” “Hi, I don’t know if I’m calling the right place, but I found you online and was wondering if you could help me. I wanted to check [...]
Your Association Update As we settle into 2020, we at your friendly American Association of Private Lenders continue our dedication to our three pillars: ethics, advocacy and education. Here’s what we’ve been up to during the past quarter. Ethics One of the largest benefits we provide to our members is helping to safeguard their reputations. [...]
Traveling and living internationally helped Michael Mikhail “find himself”—and gave him the mindset to discover his calling. For some entrepreneurs, the ultimate goal is creating a company that can run just as successfully without them as with them. Michael Mikhail, founder and CEO of Stratton Equities, sees his business completely differently. “I’m never absent. I [...]
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Nominations are open until August 30, 2026, with voting from September 7-30, 2026. We’ll announce recipients at our Annual Conference.
Member of the Year (MOTY): This award goes to a member based on their deep expertise, unique value, and strong commitment to clients and the industry.
Rising Star: Rising Stars are members who have accomplished outstanding growth in their company or industry sector over the past year.
Community Impact: Recipients improve their local communities or our industry through volunteering, development programs, or civic efforts.
See past award winners, award rules, and participate in the 2026 nomination and voting process here.
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