The biggest takeaway from the 16th Annual Investors’ Conference was the feeling that the equipment finance market is poised for steady growth in 2017. With interest rate hikes on the horizon and conditions improving in the energy sector, new business volume is expected to rebound despite uncertainty surrounding public policy and trade.... read more
May/June 2017
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association developed several programs to attract new talent and strengthen ties with up-and-coming employees at member companies, all as part of an effort to combat what it calls a “graying of the industry.” ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta, along with members Scott Thacker and Nathan Gibbons, discuss their experiences with the programs and what the results have been.... read more
January/February 2017
After wrapping up a stable year, political power has shifted in Washington, and delinquency is on the rise. Four credit managers weigh in on positive and negative trends that may be in store for 2017, emphasizing the importance of ongoing vigilance and prudence in their never-ending quest to balance risk and reward.... read more
January/February 2017
Technology is changing the way business is done, and equipment finance is no exception. Charles Anderson and Patricia Voorhees discuss The Commercial Equipment Marketplace Council, founded by Currency and The Alta Group to facilitate an ongoing dialogue about the impact of technological advancement on the industry.... read more
January/February 2017
In his annual TOP Picks article, Dexter Van Dango looks back at his “foolish” predictions for 2016 and lays out his trends, observations and predictions for the year ahead. He anticipates several interest rate hikes, a rush for big banks to acquire rising fintechs and decisive political action from a Republicancontrolled Federal government.... read more
January/February 2017
Hospitals use data collected by a slew of monitoring equipment to track a patient’s vital signs, often sounding an alarm when something goes wrong. Samuel Oliva of ECS Financial suggests taking a similar approach to track the health of an equipment finance company by measuring the metrics that matter.... read more
September/October 2016
There were 17 U.S. Industrial Affiliate equipment leasing and financing companies in the first Monitor 100, 25 years ago. Only one of those companies remains, and next year it will be gone. Dexter Van Dango takes a look back in time at those legacy companies and recounts the stories of their rise and fall.... read more
Monitor 100 2016
Monitor’s publisher Jerry Parrotto tells the story of how the Monitor 100 began, taking a look at how the industry has changed during the last 25 years. Though U.S. industrial affiliates initially dominated the ranking, they have all but disappeared, paving the way for the growth of banks.... read more
Monitor 100 2016
A theme of uncertainty dominated the 15th Annual Investor Conference as panelists discussed the increasing cost of funds and the sluggish equipment-backed ABS market. Despite geopolitical anxieties, prolonged stress in the energy sector and negative interest rates, many expressed a confidence in the industry’s resilience, expecting it to grow at a slow but steady pace in 2016.... read more
May/June 2016
Healthcare reform in the U.S. has led to a focus on cost and quality of care, which has sparked rapid consolidation within the industry and shifted the decision-making process to the C-suite. To grow and acquire vendor relationships in the healthcare industry, equipment finance companies must help their partners provide the advanced technology that doctors want through solutions that ensure the metrics and total cost of ownership the CxO is targeting.... read more
May/June 2016
The GE Capital divestiture alone created a slew of M&A activity in 2015. The Alta Group’s Bruce Kropschot recounts the M&A highlights of 2015 and examines the current seller’s market. Due to economic slowdown, political uncertainty and a myriad of other potential adverse factors, Kropschot says gloomy days may be in store for 2016 M&A activity.... read more
March/April 2016
Though they don’t agree on the method, our buy desk roundtable participants do agree on one thing: the lending environment needs to change. Lisa Miller catches up with three capital markets executives who discuss the delicate balance between pricing, terms and valuation.... read more
March/April 2016
Monitor contributor, Susan Carol, reports on the ELFA’s Credit and Collection Conference where credit and risk managers remain confident when it comes to compliance and fundamental practices as they prepare for the next inevitable downturn.... read more
July/August 2015
Sergey Moiseenko and Chuck Weilamann of DBRS take a look at trends in the U.S. equipment ABS market, including private equity investment and the rise of smaller specialty originators. They caution that oil price uncertainty could play a role in the months to come.... read more
Monitor 100 2015
In the Monitor 100 issue, mystery writer Dexter Van Dango takes a look at the planned divestiture of GE Capital, examining the financial division’s rise from an appliance financing option to a systematically important entity, and gives his best guess as to what may lie on the hazy road ahead.... read more