2. Registering as a Partner

To gain access to the Partner Portal, you must first complete a registration request. RPA supports four partner types: Loan Originator, Broker, Referral Agent, and Lender/Funder. This manual covers the Loan Originator and Broker registration flows.

2.1 Starting Your Registration

Navigate to www.rpacommercialloans.com/partners/loan-originator (for loan originators) or /partners/broker (for brokers). Click the "Apply to Partner" or "Register Now" button to open the multi-step registration form.

2.2 Registration Form Fields

• Full Name (required). Your legal first and last name.
• Email Address (required). The email you will use to log in. Must be valid and active, your activation link will be sent here.
• Phone Number (required). Your direct contact number.
• Company Name. Your brokerage or origination firm name, if applicable.
• License Number and State. For brokers, your state-issued mortgage broker or real estate license number and state of issuance.
• Website and LinkedIn URL. Optional, but helpful for the RPA team in verifying credentials.
• Years of Experience. How many years you have been originating or brokering commercial loans.
• Head and Shoulders Photo. A professional photograph used on your partner profile within the platform.
• W-9 Information. Your legal name, business name (if different), tax classification, address, and SSN or EIN. Required for commission payments and W-9 generation.
• Password. Choose a secure password. You must enter it twice to confirm.

2.3 Signing Your W-9 and Partner Agreement

After submitting your form, you will receive two documents to sign electronically via DocuSeal:

• IRS Form W-9. Pre-filled with your registration information. Review for accuracy and sign.
• Partner Agreement. The RPA Commercial Loans Partner Agreement outlining commission structure, obligations, and terms.

2.4 Approval and Account Activation

Once both documents are signed, the RPA team will review your registration (typically within one to two business days). When approved, you will receive a welcome email with a link to activate your account. If not approved, you will receive an explanation and may reapply.

3. Logging In

Once your account is activated, log in at www.rpacommercialloans.com/login-info at any time.

4. Your Dashboard

After logging in, your dedicated Loan Originator Portal gives you a complete overview of all applications you have submitted, quick-action buttons, and direct access to key tools. The screenshots below show the full dashboard, including the application list, progress bars, document sections, and referral link at the bottom.

4.1 Summary Statistics

4.2 Quick Action Buttons

• New Application, Opens the Quick Application form to submit a new loan.
• CRM Dashboard, Opens your lead and relationship management tool.
• Training Academy, Opens the RPA Commercial Lending Professional Certification course.
• My Referrals, Shows a table of all applications submitted through your referral link.

4.3 Application Cards

Each application is displayed as a card showing the Application Number, status badge, loan amount, property city/state, and submission date. A progress bar under each card visualizes where the application is in the pipeline (Submitted → Under Review → With Funders → Funded). If term sheets have been received, a green notice appears on the card. If documents are pending, a yellow notice appears reminding you to upload files.

Each card also has an expandable Documents section showing how many files have been uploaded. Click Upload Documents to add files directly from the dashboard without leaving the page.

4.4 Navigation Sidebar

• Dashboard, Returns to your Loan Originator Portal home.
• CRM, Opens the CRM lead manager.
• Training Academy, Opens the certification course.
• My Referrals, Lists all applications you have submitted in a detailed table view.
• New Application, Opens the Quick Application form.

5. Submitting a New Application

Click New Application in the left sidebar or the + New Application button on your Dashboard to open the Quick Application form. The form is divided into five steps shown at the top of the page: Your Account → Loan Details → Property → Contact → Review. Each step must be completed before advancing to the next.

5.1 Step 1, Loan Details

This step collects the three core loan parameters. All three fields are required before you can proceed.

• Loan Amount (USD), required. Enter the total dollar amount the borrower is requesting. Type the number without formatting, the field will auto-format it. Example: type 1500000 and it displays as $1,500,000. For very large loans ($25M+), confirm the amount is correct before proceeding.
• Loan Type, required. Select the category of financing from the dropdown. See Section 6 for detailed explanations of each type and when to use them. Common selections include Purchase, Refinance, and Working Capital / Equipment / Franchise.
• Loan Purpose, required. Refines the transaction within the selected loan type. Options include Existing Property, Fix & Flip, Land, Land + Construction, Cash Out, Rehabilitation, Construction, Working Capital, Equipment, and Franchise. After selecting a purchase-related purpose, a blue notice appears reminding you to have the purchase contract ready to upload after submission.

5.2 Step 2, Property Information

This step collects information about the subject property, the specific real estate asset that will secure the loan.

• Property Type, required. Select the type that best describes the property. Options include Single Family Residence (SFR), Multifamily 2 to 4 units, Multifamily 5+ units, Condo, Vacant Land, Land Development, Office, Retail, Industrial, Hotel/Motel, Public Storage, Mobile Home Park, Shopping Center, Strip Mall, Hospital, Senior Living, Mixed Use, and Other. See Section 6 for guidance on selecting the right type.
• Property Address, required. Begin typing the street address. The system uses Google Maps autocomplete to suggest matching addresses. Selecting from the dropdown will auto-fill the City, State, and ZIP fields. If the address is not found (e.g., a rural property or new construction), click Enter Manually in blue at the top right of the field to type all fields by hand.
• City, State, ZIP Code, required. Auto-filled when you select from the address dropdown. For manual entry, type each field individually.
• Estimated Value ($), optional at this stage. The borrower's best estimate of current market value. For purchase transactions, this is typically the purchase price or appraised value. For refinances, use the current estimated market value. For construction loans, use the projected value after completion (ARV).

5.3 Step 3, Contact Information

This step collects the borrower's personal and company information.

Personal Information

• First Name / Last Name, required. The primary borrower's legal name.
• Email Address, required. The borrower's email. They will receive an invitation to log in and upload documents.
• Phone Number, required. Primary contact number, formatted as (800) 555-1212.
• Home Address, required. The borrower's residential address. Use the Google autocomplete or click "Enter Manually."

Company Information

The Company Name field should contain the name of the entity that is the primary borrower on the loan, the LLC, corporation, partnership, or trust that will hold title to the property and be listed on the loan documents. This is not necessarily the name of every business the borrower owns.

• Company Street Address. The registered address of the borrowing entity. Often the same as the borrower's home address for small operators.
• Employer ID Number (EIN). The federal tax ID of the borrowing entity, in the format 95-1234567. If not yet established, enter "N/A."
• Website. Optional. The company's business website.

Co-Borrowers (Optional)

If there are additional guarantors, co-borrowers, or equity partners on the loan, select Yes under "Are there any co-borrowers?" A loan officer will follow up to collect their information. Select No if there is only one borrower.

Special Needs or Notes

Use this free-text field for anything that does not fit the structured fields, for example: "Borrower has a pending 1031 exchange with a 30-day close deadline," or "Property is under lease to a national tenant; lease expires in 18 months," or "Borrower had a short sale 4 years ago."

5.4 Step 4, Review & Submit

The Review screen displays a summary of all information entered across the three prior steps, organized into three cards: Loan Details, Property, and Contact. Review each section carefully. If anything is incorrect, click the ← Back button to return to the relevant step and make corrections.

When everything looks correct, click the green Submit Application button. The system will create the application record and display a confirmation screen.

5.5 Confirmation Page

After submission, a green confirmation screen displays the message "Application Submitted!" along with the unique Application Number (format: RPA-YYMM-NNNN). Write this number down or take a screenshot, it is the reference number for all future communications about this loan.

The confirmation page also prompts you to Log In to Portal to track the application status and begin uploading documents. The borrower will simultaneously receive an email invitation to create their own portal login.

6. Loan & Property Types Explained

Selecting the correct loan type and property type is critical to getting the right funders interested in your deal. Below is a guide to the most common options available in the Quick Application.

6.1 Loan Types

6.2 Property Types

7. Tracking Applications

Monitor all submitted applications from your Dashboard (cards with progress bars) or from My Referrals in the sidebar (a detailed table view with all applications in one list).

7.1 Application Status Flow

7.2 Application Detail View

Click View on any application card, or click an Application Number in the My Referrals table, to open the full detail view. The detail page shows tabs for: Overview (loan details, primary borrower, and notes), Borrower, Property, Documents, Underwriting, Funders, Parties, and Activity. The Overview tab shows key metrics including loan amount, property value, document upload count, and term sheets received.

8. Documents

Document collection is one of the most critical parts of the loan process. Incomplete or inaccurate documentation is the most common cause of delays. As a partner, you can upload documents on behalf of your clients, or direct clients to upload through their own borrower portal login.

8.1 Uploading Documents

Documents can be uploaded directly from your Loan Originator Portal dashboard. Each application card shows the number of uploaded files and an Upload Documents button. Click the button, select one or more files, then click "Upload." You can also upload from the full Application Detail page via the Documents tab. Supported formats: PDF, JPG, PNG, HEIC.

8.2 Common Document Requirements

• Government-issued photo ID (driver's license or passport)
• Personal tax returns, last 2 years
• Business tax returns, last 2 years (if applicable)
• Personal financial statement
• Bank statements, last 3 to 6 months (personal and business)
• Rent roll (for income-producing properties)
• T-12 operating statement (trailing 12 months of income/expenses)
• Purchase contract (for purchase transactions)
• Mortgage statement and payoff letter (for refinances)
• Photos of the subject property
• Entity documents (operating agreement, articles of incorporation, EIN letter)
• Construction budget (for construction and fix & flip loans)

9. Your Referral Link

Every partner account is assigned a unique referral URL. When a borrower applies through your link, their application is automatically associated with your account and any commission earned is credited to you, even if you are not logged in at the time the borrower applies.

9.1 Finding Your Referral Link

Your referral link is displayed in two places: at the bottom of your Dashboard (Loan Originator Portal), and at the top of your My Referrals page. The link looks like:

The part after ?ref= is your unique referral code, typically the username portion of your login email (e.g., if you log in as jsmith@gmail.com, your code would be jsmith). Click the Copy Link button to copy it to your clipboard instantly.

9.2 Where to Share Your Link

• Email campaigns to your client database
• LinkedIn posts, Facebook, Instagram
• Your personal or company website ("Apply for a commercial loan")
• Email signature, include a hyperlinked phrase like "Apply Now"
• Text message to a prospect after a phone conversation
• Printed flyers or business cards (as a QR code)

10. Masking Your Referral Link (Making It Clickable)

When you send an email, a long raw URL like https://rpacommercialloans.com/QuickApplication?ref=lo1 can look unprofessional, get flagged as spam, or simply be too long to embed cleanly. Instead, you should mask the link, attach it to a short, professional phrase like "Apply Now" or "Click here to apply".

When a reader clicks that phrase, they are taken directly to your referral link, but the visible text stays clean and professional. Here is how to do it in the most common situations:

10.1 In Gmail or Outlook (Email Compose Window)

10.2 In Google Docs or Microsoft Word (For Flyers or Letters)

10.3 In a LinkedIn Post or Message

LinkedIn does not support hyperlinked text in public posts, you must paste the full URL. However, in LinkedIn Messages (direct messages), you can paste the URL and LinkedIn will auto-preview it. For a cleaner presentation, type a phrase like "Here's the application link:" and paste the URL on the next line. LinkedIn will embed a preview card.

10.4 In Your Email Signature

Adding a hyperlinked call-to-action in your email signature is one of the easiest ways to consistently drive applications through your referral link, every email you send becomes a passive marketing tool.

11. Commissions

You earn a commission on each loan that successfully funds through your referral. The rate is defined in your Partner Agreement. Below is a general overview.

11.1 Commission Structure

Commissions are calculated as a percentage of the funded loan amount and paid at or shortly after closing. Standard referral commissions range from 0.20% to 1.00% of the funded amount, depending on your partner tier and loan type. Loan originators who actively manage the borrower relationship and prepare the application package may receive a higher rate than pure referral agents.

11.2 When Commissions Are Paid

Commissions are released after the loan funds and the closing settlement statement is confirmed by the RPA accounting team. Payment is made via ACH (or wire for international partners) within five to ten business days of confirmed funding.

11.3 Tracking Your Earnings

A commission summary on your Dashboard shows total earned to date, pending commissions, and payment history. Contact support@rpacommercialloans.com for any discrepancy or payment question.

12. Using the CRM, Lead & Relationship Manager

The RPA CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) is a built-in tool that allows you to track every lead, prospect, and potential borrower from your first contact all the way through to a funded loan. It is accessible directly from your left-hand navigation sidebar under CRM, or by clicking the CRM Dashboard button on your Loan Originator Portal.

12.1 The CRM Dashboard, At a Glance

When you open the CRM, you see five summary cards at the top of the page:

Below the stats is your Lead List, all leads sorted by most recently updated. Each lead row shows the name, company, masked email, phone, estimated loan amount (in blue), and status/priority badges. On the right side of the screen you will see two panels: Recent Activity (latest logged activities across all leads) and Follow-Up Queue (leads with imminent or overdue follow-ups).

You can filter the lead list by status using the All Statuses dropdown, or search by name, company, or email using the search bar.

12.2 Adding a New Lead

12.3 Logging an Activity

Every time you contact a lead, or a lead contacts you, log it. Click the Log button on any lead card in the list, or select a lead and use the Log Activity button in the detail panel that opens on the right side of the screen.

When logging a call, the form also asks for an Outcome (e.g., Connected, Voicemail, Meeting Scheduled, Interested, Not Interested) and a Follow-Up Date. Always set a follow-up, this ensures the lead appears in your Follow-Up Queue at the right time.

12.4 Lead Statuses and What They Mean

12.5 The Follow-Up Queue

The Follow-Up Queue appears on the right side of the CRM Dashboard and lists every lead whose scheduled follow-up date has arrived or passed. Leads are sorted by urgency, the most overdue appear first. Click the phone icon next to any queued lead to open the log activity form immediately, pre-filled for a phone call. After logging the call and setting a new follow-up, the lead will be removed from the queue.

12.6 Updating a Lead

Click any lead in the list to open its detail panel on the right. From the detail panel you can update the status, priority, estimated loan amount, notes, and next follow-up date. Changes save immediately. You can also click Edit to open the full lead form and update any field.

12.7 Best Practices

• Log same-day. Log every call, email, and meeting on the day it happens. Memory fades quickly.
• Always set a follow-up. Every logged activity should result in a scheduled next step. "No next step" is rarely the right answer.
• Update statuses promptly. Move leads through the pipeline as soon as their status changes. Your pipeline stats are only useful if they reflect reality.
• Use the Notes field. Keep a running summary of the lead's situation, needs, and concerns so you can quickly re-orient before each contact.
• Don't delete leads. Mark lost leads as "Lost" rather than deleting them. Lost leads often re-engage months later when their situation changes.
• Nurture long-term prospects. Place leads who are not ready now into "Nurture" status and set a follow-up 30, 60, or 90 days out.
• Log voicemails as calls. Even if no one answered, log a call with outcome "Voicemail" and set a follow-up. This documents that you attempted contact.

13. Connecting Your Calendly Scheduler

RPA's Borrower Consultations page lets you connect your own Calendly account so borrowers can book consultation calls with you directly. When a borrower schedules a meeting through your Calendly link, the platform automatically syncs that meeting into the CRM, creating a meeting activity record on the matching lead, and even creating a new lead automatically if the borrower's email isn't already in your pipeline. This eliminates manual data entry and ensures no consultation slips through the cracks.

13.1 Opening the Consultations Page

From your left-hand navigation sidebar, click Consultations (the calendar-check icon). This opens the Borrower Consultations page, which serves as your hub for scheduling and syncing borrower meetings.

13.2 Connecting Your Calendly Account (First Time)

The first time you open the Consultations page, you'll see a prompt to connect your Calendly account. You only need to do this once.

13.3 Your Booking Links

Once connected, the Your Booking Links section lists every active event type in your Calendly account (for example, "15-Minute Intro Call," "30-Minute Loan Consultation," "Borrower Discovery Call"). Each link shows the event name, duration, and a Book button that opens the Calendly scheduling page in a new tab.

Share these links with borrowers via email, text, or your email signature. When a borrower books a time, the meeting is added to your Calendly calendar and will be synced to the CRM on your next sync (see 13.4).

13.4 Syncing Meetings to the CRM

Syncing pulls your scheduled Calendly events into the CRM. Click the Sync Now button at the top right of the Consultations page. The sync runs and displays three summary cards:

Below the summary cards, the Recently Synced Meetings list shows each meeting that was synced this round, with the event name, the matched lead's name, and the scheduled date and time.

13.5 What Gets Logged in the CRM

For each synced meeting, a CRM activity record is created with:

• Activity type: Meeting
• Direction: Inbound (the borrower booked the meeting)
• Subject: The Calendly event name (with a hidden tracking ID to prevent duplicates)
• Body: The event name, scheduled date/time, location (video link or address), and the borrower's answers to any Calendly intake questions
• Duration: Calculated from the event start and end times
• Outcome: Meeting Scheduled
• Activity date: The scheduled meeting date and time

Open the CRM Dashboard and click the lead to see the meeting in the activity history. From there you can add follow-up notes, set a next follow-up date, or update the lead status (e.g., move from New to Qualifying after the consultation takes place).

13.6 Disconnecting Your Calendly Account

If you need to switch Calendly accounts or stop syncing, click the Disconnect button at the top right of the Consultations page. This revokes RPA's access to your Calendly account. Previously synced meetings remain in the CRM, disconnecting only stops future syncs. To resume, click Connect Calendly and re-authorize.

13.7 Troubleshooting

14. Glossary