For George Merino , real estate is the family business.

He began his career managing properties, went on to become an award-winning mortgage broker, and founded his own successful mortgage company before joining Fidelity Mortgage Lenders, Inc. Over his career, he’s closed more than $350,000,000 in loan volume.

These days, he uses that broad experience and deep understanding of the needs and concerns of real estate investors to help clients fund their projects.

“It’s my belief that private lending is a service,” the Santa Barbara native and UC Santa Barbara graduate says. “If you’re looking for a loan, you can go to any bank. What I offer is the ability to look outside the box to offer the right solution for the client.”

George won’t back away from a challenge. He recently closed a loan on six properties in three states that had passed through three generations before the current owner sought funding. The problem? Ownership was never transferred over all that time. George had to unravel a complex line of heirs, who by then had married and divorced several times over, and he did it all and closed the deal by the three-week deadline he was given.

“Some people might have given up,” he says. “But I knew there was a way to get it done.”