Commercial mortgage backed securities are no longer an abstract risk, they’re a daily negotiation.

In my latest conversation with Michael Cohen, we're getting real about what’s actually happening inside CMBS loan workouts, extensions, and borrower-lender negotiations, with a sharp focus on New York City, hotels, and multifamily assets.

And candid about why documentation matters more than optimism, why integrity still carries weight in distressed negotiations, and how borrowers can approach lenders with a proven plan instead of false hope.

Our discussion builds on themes first explored in a prior episode, CMBS Loan Maturities Are the Real Stress Test, where CMBS maturities and structural pressure were laid out. This episode shows how those pressures are now playing out in real time.

If you want to understand how CMBS decisions are really being made, and what proactive borrowers are doing differently right now, this conversation delivers clarity without hype.

About Our Guest:

Michael Cohen is the Founder and Managing Partner of Brighton Capital Advisors, a commercial real estate advisory firm specializing in representing borrowers and their attorneys in CMBS and CLO loan servicing workouts. Connect further with Michael on LinkedIn.

📲 Watch the full conversation and share your take in the comments.

🎧 Also available to listen on your favorite podcast platform.

🔔 Subscribe to stay informed on the trends and strategies reshaping the distressed debt market and for weekly investor intelligence insights on distressed debt, loan resolution, and smart investing that builds both wealth and impact.

👉 If you enjoy what you hear please share.

First Lien Capital is your trusted investment partner delivering security and strong returns while making real impact, and First Lien Resolutions is your Special Assets Group for hire delivering integrated resolutions to protect capital and restore performance to distressed real estate debt scenarios.

Schedule a consultation with Bill to ELEVATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or REVIVE ⁠⁠⁠⁠your portfolio today.

To advertise on Debt Doctor or request an episode topic, please email podcast@billbybmel.com.

#CMBS #CommercialRealEstate #DistressedDebt #RealEstateFinance #LoanWorkouts #Multifamily #DebtDoctor

The music in this video is copyrighted and used with permission.

Music: Snappy by Jonathan Boyle

Source: https://www.premiumbeat.com

License: Creator License #7035351

The phrase extend and pretend gets tossed around like it’s a stall tactic, but in today’s real estate market, it’s far more strategic than people realize.

Listen in as I break down how lenders are actually using extend and pretend to manage distressed loans without triggering unnecessary foreclosures. We talk through enforcement tools banks already have, how covenant violations come into play even when payments are current, and why maturity extensions have become one of the most widely used pressure valves in the system.

The mortgage market is under real stress. Rising cap rates, declining values, and tighter cash flows are exposing weaknesses that were easy to ignore when rates were low. The question isn’t whether lenders will act, it’s how they act, and whether communication and creativity can prevent a repeat of past crises.

This conversation is about what’s really happening behind the scenes and why extend and pretend is less about denial and more about control.

📲 Watch the full conversation and share your take in the comments.

🎧 Also available to listen on your favorite podcast platform.

🔔 Subscribe to stay informed on the trends and strategies reshaping the distressed debt market and for weekly investor intelligence insights on distressed debt, loan resolution, housing, and smart investing that builds both wealth and impact.

👉 If you enjoy what you hear please share.

First Lien Capital is your trusted investment partner delivering security and strong returns while making real impact, and First Lien Resolutions is your Special Assets Group for hire delivering integrated resolutions to protect capital and restore performance to distressed real estate debt scenarios.

Schedule a consultation with Bill to ELEVATE ⁠⁠⁠https://billbymel.com/investor/⁠⁠⁠ or REVIVE ⁠⁠⁠https://billbymel.com/advisor/⁠⁠⁠ your portfolio today.

To advertise on Debt Doctor or request an episode topic, please email podcast@billbybmel.com.

#ExtendAndPretend #DistressedDebt #MortgageMarket #LoanModifications #RealEstateRisk #PrivateCredit #DebtDoctor

The music in this video is copyrighted and used with permission.

Music: Snappy by Jonathan Boyle

Source: https://www.premiumbeat.com

License: Creator License #7035351

Financial freedom isn’t about chasing the highest returns, it starts with understanding your investor DNA. Investing without knowing your personal investor DNA, is when even “good” strategies can lead to frustration instead of freedom.

My guest, Russ Morgan, shares what purposeful wealth really means and why so many people feel stuck despite doing everything “right.” We talk about the flaws baked into traditional retirement vehicles, how chasing high returns often backfires, and why passive income must be designed to outpace real life expenses to create true financial freedom and wealth.

If you’ve ever wondered why the system feels stacked against you, this conversation confirms why, and the shift we’re seeing toward individuals reclaiming personal responsibility and control over their financial futures.

About Our Guest:

Russ Morgan, known as The Idea Guy, is co-Founder and Partner of Wealth Without Wall Street, providing education on how to increase cash flow and create passive income all without the help of Wall Street, and co-host of the Wealth Without Wall Street podcast. Take the assessment to reveal your investor DNA at https://go.wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/debtdoctor. Connect further with Russ on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-morgan-72595519/.

📲 Watch the full conversation and share your take in the comments.

🎧 Also available to listen on your favorite podcast platform.

🔔 Subscribe to stay informed on the trends and strategies reshaping the distressed debt market and for weekly investor intelligence insights on distressed debt, loan resolution, housing, and smart investing that builds both wealth and impact.

👉 If you enjoy what you hear please share.

First Lien Capital is your trusted investment partner delivering security and strong returns while making real impact, and First Lien Resolutions is your Special Assets Group for hire delivering integrated resolutions to protect capital and restore performance to distressed real estate debt scenarios.

Schedule a consultation with Bill to ELEVATE ⁠⁠⁠https://billbymel.com/investor/⁠⁠⁠ or REVIVE ⁠⁠⁠https://billbymel.com/advisor/⁠⁠⁠ your portfolio today.

To advertise on Debt Doctor or request an episode topic, please email podcast@billbybmel.com.

#FinancialFreedom #PassiveIncome #PurposefulWealth #InvestorEducation #WealthStrategy #FinancialLegacy #DebtDoctor

The music in this video is copyrighted and used with permission.

Music: Snappy by Jonathan Boyle

Source: https://www.premiumbeat.com

License: Creator License #7035351