Alliance Partners Launches Equipment Finance Division



Alliance Partners announced the expansion of its commercial lending business with the launch of Alliance Partners Equipment Finance (APEF). The new division will be led by managing director Jay Squiers and supported by directors Jim Lyons and Drew Hayes. The new division will expand the commercial and industrial loan products that Alliance Partners sources, underwrites and services on behalf of BancAlliance, a member-operated network of more than 50 community and regional banks.

The new division of Alliance Partners Commercial will be focused on large ticket and middle markets equipment finance opportunities of $5 million – $50 million in North America. APEF will consider loans against all types of durable, value-added equipment with an initial focus on the transportation, construction, manufacturing, energy, healthcare and agriculture sectors. The group intends to be active in purchasing loans in the syndication and capital markets, as well as directly originating loans with equipment owners and operators.

“We are proud to be joined by this respected and experienced equipment finance lending team,” said Brian Graham, president of Alliance Partners. “The rapid growth of BancAlliance – in terms of both member banks and diversity of borrowers – demonstrates the important value the network delivers to banks and American businesses. We will continue to add market-leading lending platforms in service to the BancAlliance member banks.”

Squiers stated, “As a result of the current economic and regulatory challenges, APEF is being proactive in establishing and positioning itself for the future while remaining true to a conservative regulated bank underwriting philosophy. We believe that our experience with equipment finance loans, commercial asset origination and loan portfolio management will afford our member banks with the diversification and incremental returns they desire to compete with the larger regional banks.”

The team brings a wealth of commercial origination and management experience to APEF comprising a combined 65 years of commercial lending experience. All three individuals were previously employed by the asset acquisition affiliate of a private bank with responsibility for originating commercial transactions for the bank group.

Squiers was previously the executive vice president and chief operating officer of CSG Investments, an affiliate of Beal Bank. He brings 25 years of relevant investment and management experience with an extensive background in underwriting, deal sourcing, portfolio management, and operations management at a variety of top level investment organizations including Beal Bank, Fortress Investment Group and Prudential Capital Group.

Lyons, who previously reported to Squiers, was a senior vice president and Commercial Team Leader of CSG Investments. He joins the executive team of APEF as a director, with 24 years of commercial lending experience, including 15 years in the equipment finance market in sales and capital markets leadership roles for Associates Commercial, GE Capital, and AIG Equipment Finance. In addition, Lyons has four years of experience in a regulatory role working for the FDIC. Mr. Lyons will initially focus on building the capital markets and direct originations platforms for APEF.

Rounding out the team is Hayes, also as a director and a colleague of Squiers and Lyons at CSG. Hayes has 17 years of financial industry experience including nine years of capital markets experience in equipment finance, commercial mortgage originations and underwriting. Hayes will initially assist in building APEF’s capital markets platform with an emphasis on the underwriting and risk management.

BancAlliance is a consortium of community and regional banks organized to evaluate and fund corporate commercial and industrial (C&I) loans and related services designed to improve the safety, profitability, and competiveness of community banks.


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