About Investor Loans Indiana
We are the investor-lending arm of Mike Certo's team at Cornerstone First Mortgage: a direct lender, licensed in all 50 states, with 23 years of residential lending behind the desk.
Who we are
Investor Loans Indiana is run by Mike Certo, Branch Manager at Cornerstone First Mortgage (NMLS #173855), and the team around him. Mike has originated residential mortgages for 23 years, through two rate cycles, one housing crash, and every flavor of investor market in between. He holds NMLS #260555, and Cornerstone lends as a direct lender in all 50 states and DC.
Indiana is a favorite state to lend in, and the reason is structural. A rental here rides a constitutional 2% tax cap, so a Midwest deal that would miss the ratio in high-tax Ohio or Michigan often clears comfortably. But investor lending is still where generic mortgage advice fails hardest. An Indiana deal turns on things most loan officers never touch: whether a Speedway submarket clears where a Carmel one won't, what the non-homestead tax bill actually is under the cap, whether the Indianapolis Board of Zoning Appeals will approve a non-owner STR, whether a series LLC under IC 23-18.1 fits the lender's box. We work those questions all week.
How we work
- Real numbers, no salesy script. We run the actual PITIA against realistic rent before you offer, and we will tell you when a deal does not pencil.
- You always know where you are in the loan process. Communication is the thing our clients mention most, and we guard that reputation.
- Verified facts, dated. Every figure on this site traces to a source and carries its verification date, from the DLGF tax caps to the Indianapolis permit fee. When a local rule needs confirming at the source, we say so instead of rounding to a comfortable answer.
- Direct lender. Underwriting, docs, and funding under one roof.
What we lend
DSCR purchases and refinances, investor cash-out, short-term-rental financing, bank-statement loans for the self-employed, foreign-national programs, and conventional investor loans, all across Indiana. Start with the programs page, the DSCR guide, or just send us the deal.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. City short-term-rental rules and tax figures change; confirm current requirements with the city, your CPA, or an Indiana real estate attorney before you buy. Loans are subject to buyer and property qualification.