Hi !

I am Vera Stoddard - former commercial banker with 15 years of credit experience with a few international banking groups - Rabobank, Swedbank, Societe Generale, Wells Fargo.

I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia and got my most international banking experience there. I first moved to San Diego, CA in 2002 but then, between 2003 and 2013 I was back and forth between Russia and US, working primarily in Moscow.

I started in the banking world as a credit analyst back in 1998. Commercial real estate was one of the industries where I analyzed commercial credit transactions. I liked the variety of transactions for different types of industries, and commercial properties - office, retail, industrial buildings, hotels, etc. I later became a Credit Manager with Swedbank ( Large bank in Scandinavia and Baltic region) and actually approved or ( sometimes !) denied credit applications. I have to say - I hated denying loan request - that made my client managers very upset and even angry sometimes .. I usually tried to work out a structure when a loan could be approved. However.. in certain cases, there is nothing you can do.. The risk of default is just too high..

In 2012 I registered my own loan brokerage company VMS Capital in San Diego, CA with the goal of helping clients get financing for their businesses and real estate properties. Since the beginning of 2013 I am on the 'other side of the fence' with banks and private lenders by representing my clients and negotiating best loan terms for them. I act as a 'matchmaker' for a credit transaction between a client and a lender. I place business and commercial real estate loans all over the US but focus on transactions in California. Because I know how the banker's mind works I usually do my homework on credit transaction first, and then approach a lender. I understand that it is extremely important how I present a loan request and explain the transaction not to be rejected right away.

I like what I do because of a few reasons:

1. Every transaction is different, so there is a lot of variety in my work

2. It is mind-stimulating when you have to find the right option for someone who needs financing but has been rejected by lenders before ( those are usually my clients ;-)

3. I like helping people!

4. I like my independence and flexible work hours

I look forward to networking and meeting new people here !