About
National Family Mortgage ®

About National Family Mortgage ®

Headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, National Family Mortgage ® is an online company focused on helping families document and support real estate loans between relatives.

Families increasingly rely on private financing to help children, parents, or other close family members buy, refinance, or retain a home. While these arrangements are common, they are often handled informally–without clear documentation or an understanding of how federal tax rules apply to private family loans. When that happens, families can unintentionally create legal, tax, and family-relationship issues that are difficult to unwind later.

National Family Mortgage ® was created to address that gap. The company provides families with tools, education, and documentation support designed to help private family mortgage arrangements more closely resemble conventional, arm’s-length loans, while remaining tailored to the unique needs of family transactions.

A Longstanding Focus on Family Lending

National Family Mortgage® is a continuation of Founder and CEO Timothy Burke’s long-standing work in the family lending space.

Prior to founding National Family Mortgage®, Burke was a key member of Circle Lending, an early peer-to-peer lending company that helped pioneer the modern family lending model beginning in 2001. In 2007, Circle Lending was acquired by Sir Richard Branson and re-launched as Virgin Money USA. Following Virgin Money’s exit from the U.S. market after the financial crisis, Burke carried forward the family lending model through National Family Mortgage ®.

The Circle Lending model has since been examined in academic and professional settings, including a Harvard Business School case study, and remains influential in discussions of private family financing.

Since its founding, National Family Mortgage ® has supported the documentation of more than $1 billion in mortgage loans between family members, helping thousands of families in every state across the United States.

Experience, Education, and Public Recognition

Timothy Burke holds an M.S. in Philanthropy from Suffolk University and a B.A. in English from Boston College. His work focuses on proper documentation, alignment with applicable federal tax rules, and practical implementation considerations for private family mortgage loans.

Burke is a widely cited expert on intra-family lending and has been interviewed or quoted by leading financial publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Kiplinger, AARP, and syndicated columns nationwide. He is also a featured expert in the 2019 edition of Nolo’s Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home.

Working Alongside Families and Their Advisors

National Family Mortgage ® is not a law firm, tax practice, or accounting firm. The company does not provide legal or tax advice. Instead, it focuses on helping families document and support private mortgage loans in a way that is clear, consistent, and aligned with commonly understood lending and tax frameworks.

Families using National Family Mortgage ® typically work in coordination with their own attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, and estate-planning professionals to ensure that their private lending arrangements reflect their broader financial and estate goals.

A Practical, Documentation-Focused Approach

At its core, National Family Mortgage ® exists to bring structure, clarity, and professionalism to family real estate lending–an area where good intentions often collide with complex rules and high emotional stakes.

By emphasizing clear documentation, standardized loan mechanics, and practical education, National Family Mortgage® helps families approach private lending with the same seriousness and care they would expect from a traditional mortgage–while preserving flexibility, transparency, and family harmony.