February 2026 Private Lending Market Report: Bridge & DSCR Trends | The Elite Officer

February, as the shortest month of the year, can be deceptive. On the surface, loan volumes were slightly up from January, but still fell short of the record highs we saw last October and December.

However, February set a record of its own. With 314 loans per business day, we saw the most activity ever on Lightning Docs. For reference, only one other month — December 2025, with 302 loans per business day — has broken the 300 mark.

About the author

Nema Daghbandan, Esq.

CEO at Lightning Docs

Lightning Docs is a proprietary cloud-based software which produces business purpose mortgage loan documents nationally. As a Real Estate Finance Attorney and Partner at Fortra Law, the nation’s largest private lending law firm, Mr. Daghbandan has unique expertise in understanding the needs of private mortgage lenders. Mr. Daghbandan has been recognized by his peers in the legal community as a Super Lawyers® Rising Star from 2016-2022. Only 2.5% of attorneys receive this distinction. He also received a perfect 10/10 rating from attorney review site AVVO®.