Tom Fanelli, chief risk officer of Nations Equipment Finance, will be retiring after 50 years in the equipment finance industry.

Fanelli started in the equipment finance business in 1967 as a collector with what was then known as General Electric Credit. He rose in the company to become a GE Capital officer and the chief risk officer for the commercial equipment finance division of GE Capital. He retired from GE in 2009 and joined a group of GE Capital colleagues in founding Nations Equipment Finance. Nations opened for business in 2010 and is an independent equipment finance businesses in the U.S.

“Tom Fanelli is well known in the equipment finance industry and we are sad that he is retiring,” said Phil Carlson, CEO of Nations. “He was an important member of our management team and helped us to build our company. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

Nations Equipment Finance specializes in providing equipment leases and loans across a spectrum of asset classes including construction, transportation, manufacturing, aerospace and marine for small and medium sized businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its transactions range in size from $1 million to $50 million.