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The asset managers assembled for this year's Monitor roundtable saw in 2011 a stuttering economic recovery as they led their respective institution's equipment management activities. During the slow and bumpy ride, they experienced a rise in equipment values, favorable end-of-term residual realization, increased used equipment sales, strong competition for desirable deals and a proliferation of government regulations. And, at the dawn of 2012, these leaders forecast more of the same mindful that certain factors could bring about the winds of change at any given moment. ... read more

January/February 2012

The severe economic downturn of recent years has seen many equipment lenders leave the business or sharply curtail their activities, and CIT was no different, downsizing its Diversified Industries Group in 2007. Central to CIT's recovery strategy is the appointment of a senior CIT veteran, Belcastro, well-known both inside CIT, as well as throughout the asset-based finance industry, as a knowledgeable and experienced professional.... read more

January/February 2012

In late July 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania published a 37-page long decision granting summary judgment for an equipment lessor on various defenses and counterclaims raised by three business lessees of telephone equipment. De Lage Landen Fin. Services, Inc. v. Rasa Floors stands as a thorough and recent analysis of the maturing law on the general enforceability of finance leases, as promoted by UCC Article 2A.... read more

January/February 2012

Lower economic confidence and more concerns, but U.S. financial executives staying the course.... read more

January/February 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

When the industry learned of Laird Boulden’s promotion to president of CapitalSource at the end of October, the logical question arose: who will succeed him to lead the company’s equipment finance operations? According to Boulden, the appointment of Maureen Carr to his former position goes way beyond the naming of a suitable replacement…... read more

November/December 2011

In Part 2 of this two-part article, Seabiscuit Partners’ Ken Naglewski turns his attention to flawed strategies and planning mishaps CEOs need to recognize and avoid. Part 1, which appeared in the Monitor’s 2011 Conference Issue, identified core elements of the strategic planning process and provided a perspective on strategic planning practices.

In his vexing parody, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll wrote, “One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire Cat in a tree. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. His response was a question: ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘It doesn’t matter.’”... read more

November/December 2011

Buying or leasing a corporate jet can help businesses operate more efficiently and is sometimes cheaper than relying on commercial airlines. But to reap those benefits, executives must carefully structure aircraft financing that suits their company’s near- to medium-term business needs. ... read more

November/December 2011

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

Equipment finance attorney Barry Marks speaks for many in lauding the benefits of the Certified Leasing Program offered by the CLP Foundation. While the industry continues to reshape itself, Marks and others firmly believe that the CLP designation is not only beneficial, but critical for success.... read more

November/December 2011

A PMSI is a useful arrow in the quiver of many equipment finance companies. Still, no legal weapons or tools are 100% effective. It is crucial, therefore, for a PMSI lender to have a good understanding of the requirements of a purchase money security interest and to maintain adequate records evidencing that those requirements have been met. Carefully drafted documents are a must.... read more

November/December 2011

For the third year in a row, the Monitor surveyed executives from equipment leasing and finance companies of all sizes to find out the realities of doing business as the pace of economic activity, as Fed Chairman Bernanke recently noted, remains “frustratingly slow.” ... read more

November/December 2011

Great sales managers are just like salespeople ... hard to come by. Linda Kester offers nine tips for any sales manager seeking to empower and enrich his or her staff.... read more

Nov/Dec 2011 2011

In this edition of Tipping the Scales, Andrew Alper discusses a recent case involving a forum selection clause where the court held the clause was enforceable, and parties that litigate a case extensively cannot attempt to move the case to a different forum at a later date. The article also explores arbitration clauses and the importance of either using them or losing them.... read more

November/December 2011