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Key Takeaways
“I feel that the RBAC’s success is attributed to how well they operate as a lender. Everything’s always been positive and they always help me.”
Key takeaways:
- Luis started First Credit Group during the 2008 recession and quickly learned that every business has a story that goes beyond the numbers.
- His referral partnership with RBAC is built on trust, creative problem-solving, and a genuine investment in helping clients write the next chapter.
- Open and honest communication is what keeps deals moving and builds trust.
When one of Luis Hernandez’s loan originators brings him a potential deal, he doesn’t just see tax returns and profits, he sees a story. First Credit Group provides lending and financing solutions to businesses, and as Vice President of Client Services, Luis has been partnering with RBAC for years to help his clients gain access to loan funds. He’s seen firsthand how digging deeper than the financials and working with the right lender can turn “maybes” into the client’s next chapter.
An early deal led to a lasting partnership
Luis founded First Credit Group during the 2008 mortgage meltdown when conventional lenders significantly pulled back from small business lending. Luis saw small business owners struggle, and his solution was to help them find a different door.
“I quickly realized that we had to move to SBA loans to support these small businesses,” he says, “because regular banks were not lending to business owners.” That’s when a banker who recognized the same gap made an introduction to the team at RBAC that would shape Luis’s business for years to come.
Luis’s first contact at RBAC was with Lilibeth Herrera, Executive Vice President and Director of Community Lending. One of their deals together involved a business owner who owned 14 supermarkets, two restaurants, and apartment buildings. Complex was an understatement, and this deal set the tone for the relationship.
“I didn’t think we were going to close it,” he remembers. “Together, we took the time to understand the client’s story, and the path forward became clear. At the end of the day, we didn’t just close the deal, we established the trust that’s driven our partnership ever since.”
Luis knows that if he brings us a loan, we’re going to look at the information and find the story underneath while coordinating to get the information we need. “I can send Lilibeth a loan, and if I miss something, she’ll identify what might stop the borrower from qualifying for the loan or if we need information beyond tax returns and P&Ls.”
Reading between the lines brings deals to life
Luis emphasizes that “every business owner looking for a loan has a story,” and we couldn’t agree more. After that early deal, Luis knew that he could bring us clients whose background, dedication, and excitement for their business told him more than just the numbers on the page. Partners like Luis help us uncover their stories so we can help clients together.
One thing Luis appreciates about our approach is our honesty. “RBAC tells me upfront if a loan is not going to work,” he says. And when the rules change or the SBA comes out with new requirements, we keep him in the loop.
On his side, Luis submits files with the client’s story right on the cover sheet. He knows that context matters, especially when a loan involves complexity that wouldn’t be obvious from the financials alone. Our lending approach allows us to read between the lines when structuring deals — we look at the story and offer options that simply aren’t available conventionally.
A partnership that keeps delivering
After years of working together, Luis’s take on RBAC is the kind of endorsement that really means something. “I’ve been doing business with RBAC for years now, and I don’t have any complaints,” he says.
This is the kind of relationship we work hard to build with our partners, one where communication is clear, the expertise is real, and both sides are genuinely invested in getting the deal done. At the end of the day, every loan we close together means helping a business owner write another chapter of their story.
If you’re ready to turn your client’s ‘what ifs’ into ‘why nots,’ let’s grab a coffee. We’d love to hear about the deals you see and hear the stories behind them.
