Vetting Lenders: How do you assess their actual deal flow and capacity?

Hey everyone, Amy Kowalski here. I've been seeing a lot of discussions lately about vetting lenders, and one area I always dig into, beyond just rates and terms, is their *actual* deal flow and capacity. It's one thing for a lender to say they're active in multifamily bridge or ground-up construction, but another to see if they can truly execute. My approach usually involves a few steps. First, I ask for recent closings – not just a list of deals, but specific examples from the last 6-12 months that align with my client's profile. For instance, if I have a client looking for a $15M bridge loan on a 200-unit value-add multifamily project in a secondary market, I want to see 2-3 similar deals they've closed recently. I'll even ask for the property addresses to cross-reference. Second, I inquire about their current pipeline. Not the total dollar amount, but the *number* of active deals and the typical loan size. If a lender with a small underwriting team tells me they have 30 deals in diligence, and their average loan is $20M, that's a red flag for potential delays. I've seen situations where a lender gets overwhelmed, and a 45-day close turns into 90, costing my client critical rate lock periods or even the deal. Finally, I try to get a sense of their capital source stability. Are they lending off their balance sheet, or are they syndicating? If syndicating, how robust are their capital partners? This isn't always easy to get, but it's crucial for understanding their long-term reliability. What are your go-to questions for gauging a lender's true capacity?