Author Archives: Paul Christenson

Paul is the President and Founder of Actium Partners. Prior to founding Actium Partners in 2004, Paul practiced corporate law with the firms of Durham Jones & Pinegar in Salt Lake City and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City and Hong Kong. Paul’s practice focused on corporate legal work, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate and lending transactions, and creditor dispute resolution. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the University of Utah School of Business Alumni Association. Paul graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. in accounting and received a J.D. from Georgetown University.

Hard Money and the Loan-to-Value Ratio

Much of what makes hard money unique is also that which makes this type of lending so different from traditional bank lending. On the other hand, we hard money lenders do have a few things in common with banks and credit unions. Among them is the use of the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio in determining how […]

Lending in Support of Rebounding Tourism

Tourism is a big part of the economy here in Utah. As such, we think it is important to consider investments in the tourism sector when they make themselves available. Such is the case with a loan we recently made for a multi-unit rental complex. The complex makes its money on tourism. With eight units, […]

Why So Many of Our Clients Invest in Real Estate

It is safe to say that the majority of the hard money loans we make go to real estate investors. Our clients invest in all sorts of property, from multi-family rental units to commercial office buildings. They find real estate lucrative for a variety of reasons as well. As to our part, we are just […]

Why Those ‘Other’ Loans Don’t Work for Property Investors

Hard money and bridge loans are designed for a very specific clientele with somewhat unique goals. For instance, the majority of loans we make go to property investors looking to generate income from commercia real estate investments. A hard money loan is perfectly suited to helping them meet their goals, despite higher interest rates and […]

How Do Hard Money Loans and Mortgages Differ?

The pre-housing-crash hard money industry was known for making all sorts of loans that lenders would never make today. Our industry has changed quite a bit as a result of the aftermath of the crash, especially where the Dodd-Frank Act relates to property funding. Unfortunately, some people still conflate hard money loans with mortgages because […]

The Difference Between Financial Position and Collateral Value

Quite a few things distinguish hard money from traditional bank financing. From the lender’s perspective, the difference between borrower financial position and collateral value is big. In fact, it is the main factor that separates hard money from traditional lending. Hard money lenders like Actium Partners are more interested in collateral than the borrower’s financial […]

Top 5 Hard Money Terms for Newbies

What is it about financial services that aggravates you the most? For many investors new to the hard money game, it is the words our industry uses. Suffice it to say that the financial sector has its own lingo. If you don’t know what certain terms mean, you could end up approaching a deal without […]

How to Avoid Hard Money Lending Scams

Hard money lending is a legitimate financial service on par with other forms of licensed private lending. Unfortunately, our industry is given a black eye every time a fraudster manages to scam people out of their hard-earned money. We consider it part of our responsibility to educate people about how they can avoid hard money […]

A Summary of Hard Money Lending in 4 Points

The internet is a treasure trove of information about hard money lending. Some of it is true, some of it is not. Some of the information is produced by people who are genuine experts in the field. Other information, not so much. The long and short of it is that you cannot always believe what […]

5 Question We Hope You’ll Ask When Borrowing from Us

Here at Actium Partners, we are big proponents of borrowers getting the best possible funding solution to meet their needs. We understand that hard money is a competitive business. We also know that borrowers have to look out for their own best interests. Believe it or not, we truly appreciate those who do. Given the […]

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