Cole Taylor Bank announced that it has formed a national ESOP Finance Group focused on the unique financing needs of middle market companies.

Patrick J. Stoltz, group senior vice president, will head up this group, reporting to Lawrence G. Ryan, executive vice president and chief lending officer.

Cole Taylor’s ESOP Finance Group will operate on a national basis and specialize in providing middle market business owners and ESOP community partners with strategic employee stock ownership plan financing.

Structures for such financing include leveraged and non-leveraged ESOPs, full and partial sales, second stage transactions and the refinance of seller notes.

“Our ESOP Finance Group has the resources and expertise to provide closely-held businesses with the responsive and customized solutions they’ve come to expect from Cole Taylor,” said Ryan. “Pat and his team work with a broad range of ESOP partners and, given Cole Taylor’s history as a family owned business with employee ownership, we bring a unique perspective to ESOP financing.”