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Keystone Rate

Our Story

The research desk for investor-property financing, statute-cited.

We exist because investor-lending marketing and the actual term sheet are two very different documents. Keystone Rate is the research desk for real-estate investor financing — DSCR, fix-and-flip, bridge, hard money, portfolio, commercial, and construction debt — closing that gap one source-checked page at a time.

§ 01 — Mission

Our Mission

Keystone Rate was founded on a simple premise: leverage decisions deserve real scrutiny. Advertised rates should be verified against the lender's own published sheet, not assumed. Program claims should be checked against guidelines, not repeated from a press release. The cost of capital — points, fees, recourse, prepayment penalties — should be spelled out, not glossed over.

We're a small, independent research desk. We make no rate promises and give no advice; we publish what lenders disclose, cited and dated, and our full methodology so you can audit the work.

§ 02 — Methodology

How we research

Everything on this site is grounded in research: lender rate sheets and program matrices, published guidelines, state licensing records, and market data. We do not originate, broker, or apply for these loans — and we are explicit about what we could and could not independently confirm.

  1. 01

    Source research

    We start from the primary sources: lender rate sheets, program matrices, published guidelines, and state licensing records — not the marketing page. Lender claims rarely survive a close read.

  2. 02

    Terms verification

    Every rate range, loan-size band, minimum credit score, and state restriction we publish is checked against the lender’s own current disclosures — and dated, because lending terms drift.

  3. 03

    Like-for-like comparison

    We line each lender or structure up against direct alternatives on the same criteria — cost of capital, leverage, speed, recourse — so a finding always has a "compared to what."

  4. 04

    Editorial review

    A second editor checks every claim against its source before publication. When we cannot verify something, we label it an estimate.

§ 03 — Standards

Editorial standards

The five rules every story passes through before publication. No exceptions, no carve-outs, no “just this once.”

  • We research every lender and loan structure independently from primary sources. Lenders do not get review approval — ever.
  • We disclose compensated-partner relationships at the top of every page that lists offers.
  • Compensation never sets the order: lender listings sort by published terms (lowest advertised rate first), never by commission, clicks, or any internal priority.
  • We publish no rate promises and give no advice. Published ranges are the lender’s advertised terms, dated — your quote depends on the deal, and we never pretend otherwise.
  • Corrections are dated and left visible at the bottom of the article. We do not stealth-edit.

§ 04 — Scope

What we cover — and what we deliberately don’t

Plain English: Keystone Rate covers business-purpose lending only — loans made to investors and entities against non-owner-occupied investment and commercial property: DSCR loans, fix-and-flip and bridge loans, hard money, rental-portfolio facilities, commercial mortgages, construction and land loans.

We do not cover mortgages on the home you live in, and nothing here is consumer-mortgage advice. That line isn’t stylistic — it’s legal. Owner-occupied consumer mortgages sit under a separate federal regime (TILA and RESPA disclosures, ability-to-repay rules, loan-originator licensing under the SAFE Act); business-purpose credit is expressly outside most of it (see 12 CFR § 1026.3(a) and Regulation Z’s official commentary on business-purpose credit). We are a research publisher, not a lender, broker, or licensed loan originator, and we stay firmly on the business-purpose side of that line.

If you’re financing your own residence, close this tab and talk to a licensed loan officer. If you’re financing a deal, read on.

Affiliate Disclosure

Some lender links on Keystone Rate are affiliate links — we may earn a referral commission when you connect with a partner through them, at no extra cost to you. That revenue funds the research; it never sets the order. Lender listings sort by published terms (lowest advertised rate first), and compensated partners are labeled. See our full methodology →

Contact

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