Real estate starts local, and so does RCN’s strategy. SVP of sales Christopher Dorin discusses why the lender is embracing the broker channel to scale smarter and serve better
Published May 5, 2025
RCN CAPITAL has long held a reputation as a leader in business-purpose lending, but it’s the company’s latest move – shifting exclusively to broker-driven distribution – that heralds a bold evolution in its strategy. While some lenders try to do it all, RCN is doubling down on what’s worked best: putting brokers at the heart of their business. It’s not a pivot, says senior vice president of sales Chris Dorin – it’s a natural progression.
A steady climb with a clear direction
Founded in 2010, RCN Capital quickly carved out a niche in the real estate investment space, offering fix-and-flip loans, bridge financing, and rental property loans to investors across the country. Since Dorin joined in 2014, the company has grown to fund approximately $2 billion in deals annually.
“I loved the uniqueness of the commercial space that we were in, and the uniqueness of the deals that we got to see,” Dorin says. “I really enjoyed working with brokers and investors who ran small businesses, and we were helping them fulfill their dreams.”
That passion hasn’t waned, and it’s become central to RCN’s forward path. Over the years, broker partnerships have grown not just in volume but in value, and the numbers speak for themselves.
“The majority of our business was coming from the wholesale and broker channels for some time, and that’s now a supermajority,” Dorin explains.
“This side of the industry is very steady. There’s always business to be done; it’s not the boom-bust cycle that you might see in the conventional space. When times are tougher in the conventional world, we often see brokers making their way to RCN to maximize their earning potential.”
Why brokers are at the core of RCN’s future
According to Dorin, RCN Capital’s decision to step back from direct lending and go all-in on the broker channel was about recognizing where the true value and opportunity was coming from.
It was also about understanding something that often gets lost in the race for efficiency: real estate investing is local.
Investors want to talk to someone who knows their zip code, their local market dynamics, and even the quirks of the neighborhoods they’re targeting. Brokers bring that context in a way that a centralized lender never truly can, and RCN knows it.
“Our growth has really been paired with the growth of our broker partners,” Dorin says.
“That means having boots on the ground and local expertise in every state where we do business. That’s the power of our brokers – they know their customers, they can sit and talk to them face to face. Brokers are really the secret sauce to the real estate business in general.”
And when a deal isn’t a fit for RCN? Brokers still aren’t left empty-handed.
“We want to be able to give a quick yes or a quick no – and if it’s a no, we can refer you to a lender or broker who might be able to help you,” Dorin explains. “The aim is just to make sure the customer is getting served for their needs.”
“That’s the power of our brokers – they know their customers, they can sit and talk to them face to face. Brokers are really the secret sauce to the real estate business in general”
