First Niagara Financial Group announced its subsidiary, First Niagara Leasing, achieved a new milestone in its equipment financing division with a portfolio that now exceeds $1 billion. This growth occurred as the company tightened its strategic and geographic focus in the Northeast.

First Niagara also credits its customer centric focus for its equipment leasing growth and success. The company is now the 27th largest bank owned leasing company, by volume and net asset size, as listed in the most recent Monitor Bank Top 50 rankings.

“Our mission is to provide our prospects and customers with value added leasing solutions that meet their specific needs,” said Edward Perkowski, President, First Niagara Leasing, Inc. “First Niagara has become a respected name in the financing industry, and the demand for dependable financing solutions has been on the rise over the course of the past year. We are proud to have the talented team we have in place to continue to provide the service our customers need and deserve.”

Several highlights within First Niagara’s equipment leasing portfolio include strong new production numbers for 2014, substantial generation of direct new business volume and municipal and healthcare production and growth.