Ron Meyer from Linedata examines the pitfalls of the typical RFP process for financial institutions seeking to streamline their processes with software. He says it is vital to ensure that a software vendor will make a great long-term partner, that the cost of a project is in line with industry standards and that the vendor provides direct access to client references.... read more

July/August 2017

Having the right appraiser can maximize residual values, avoid common valuation mistakes and ensure appraisals withstand audits, reviews and litigation. The Alta Group’s Carl C. Chrappa encourages equipment finance companies to improve the validity of their appraisals by scrutinizing an appraiser’s qualifications and methods.... read more

January/February 2016

Regular Monitor contributor Linda P. Kester discusses how to counteract customer resistance to “too high” rates. She advises salespeople to engage clients to learn how you can better serve them, demonstrating your rose as a problem preventer and solution provider, an ally more valuable than an instant rate dropper.... read more

Nov/Dec 2014

With 72% of U.S. companies using some form of financing when acquiring equipment, honing end-of-term practices is important for both customers and the industry as a whole. GE Capital Equipment Finance’s Jim Kelly provides insight into how companies can streamline end-of-term processes by identifying areas of self-improvement.... read more

Jan/Feb 2015

Lease management system ROI is not just about bottom-line cost reductions. A state-of-the-art leasing solution does more than lower costs; it also improves your team’s ability to win new deals and serve your customers.... read more

2014

In an era of increased competition and regulation, many in the equipment leasing and finance industry are exploring the use of enhanced technology as a way to gain process efficiencies and improve performance. In a Monitor first, we hear from a group of technology leaders who specialize in leasing software and systems.... read more

Jul/Aug 2013

Talking with business leaders across the equipment finance industry, it’s clear that the single biggest challenge they face today is how to achieve growth. The overall economy simply isn’t expanding at a satisfactory rate — but is their technology also holding them back?... read more

July/August 2012

Today, a growing number of executives can and are taking in and processing large amounts of data and quantifying, analyzing and delivering sophisticated reports in real time. The optimization revolution has democratized the ability to access, process and create understanding of data and thereby made it possible for executives to gain control of their decision-making process. Nowhere is this type of business process management more evident than in equipment financing.... read more

May/Jun 2012

Andrew G. Mesches, a consultant for The Alta Group, and well-regarded for his accomplished career and extensive knowledge in credit and risk management, shares his thoughts on lessons learned from the Great Recession and assessing risk during this post-recession recovery period.... read more

January/February 2012

It might seem that the consequences of transitioning an accounting and portfolio management team from an in-house solution to one delivered as software-as-a-service are minimal. But a closer look reveals that making the leap to the cloud brings benefits to every level of the organization. NetSol Technologies’ Andrew Lea looks at a few key sections of the org chart to see how the SaaS model delivers not only a mission-critical business application, but a whole new way of managing the business.... read more

November/December 2011

Technology, for everything it brings us, can let us down. The more we rely on it, the more we are vulnerable to its occasional failings, and this is true for our lives both business and personal. But while components can fail, there is plenty that can be done to minimize business impact. CHP Consulting’s Richard Raistrick advises how businesses can set a gold standard for their commercial websites.... read more

July/August 2011

With too many competitors chasing too few deals, it seems obvious that leasing companies will be under increasing pressure to identify new markets and products and find more efficient ways of doing business in order to increase the bottom line. Today’s business climate demands that leasing companies operate in the most efficient manner possible. For many leasing companies, the reluctance to let go of legacy applications may no longer be an option. ... read more

July/August 2011

As the equipment financing industry emerges from the hard times of the past few years, credit managers see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Assessing credit and weighing risk is more challenging than ever, but liquidity is returning to the marketplace, and new business originations are making a comeback. So, what happens now? Do we go back to business as usual, or is it a brave new world?... read more

January/February 2011

It is news to no one that the equipment finance industry is under a lot of pressure to change the way its practitioners have always done business. A latest perfect storm of increased regulatory oversight, economic tough times and accounting changes are making life interesting, to say the least. The good news is that the technology needed to address these changes is becoming available at just the right time.... read more

September 2010

Across a variety of industries where legacy platforms are prevalent and challenging to replace (including banking and insurance), companies are considering Business Process Management (BPM) solutions as an alternative to system replacement. 
As equipment finance companies look to the future and consider alternatives to modernizing their legacy technologies, they may want to consider these in the mix.... read more

July/August 2010