Helvetica Group at the AAPL Annual Conference

The American Association of Private Lenders hosts its annual conference at Caesars Palace. The program mixes comprehensive education with the industry's biggest networking floor: main stage and breakout sessions on Monday night's certification classes and Tuesday's 15+ sessions and panels, private lender roundtables, a packed vendor hall, a networking reception, and the official after party.

Helvetica Group attends as a participant. We are not on the 2026 speaker lineup. Our team will be on the floor between sessions and at the receptions, so if you lend, borrow, or sponsor a fund that needs collateral behind it, tell us you are coming and we will hold time to talk.

This year's sessions keep circling one question: how private lenders pivot in a stalled market. The answer on our side of the balance sheet is the same as it has always been — real collateral, first position, and terms that match the asset. Helvetica Group funds commercial real estate that banks decline, $300,000 to $10,000,000 and up, at rates starting at 8.99% plus 1.5% or more in points. Interest and points on those loans produce yields from 9% to 14% or more, depending on the deal.

• Yields from 9% to 14% or more, set by the deal rather than by a market index
• First trust deed position at up to 65% of appraised value, so 35% or more of equity sits below the note
• Monthly interest on most loans, with terms of 6 months to 5 years, so capital is committed for a defined window
• Spread across property types and metro areas nationwide: 1000+ funded deals, more than $1B in volume

The roundtables are where peer lenders compare notes on exits, foreclosures, and fund structures. Before capital moves, the questions are the ones we already ask on the loan desk: what is the property, who is the sponsor, what is the exit, and what happens if the exit slips. Our team is on the floor and at the receptions with answers and with the file on every deal we have funded.