Wintrust Commercial Finance (WCF), a division of Wintrust Asset Finance, appointed Bruce Follese as assistant vice president of direct originations.

Follese will work out of WCF’s office in Irvine, CA, and will be responsible for originating equipment lease and loan transactions in the Western region of the U.S. He joined WCF with more than five years of experience in the commercial finance industry.

“We are excited to have Bruce join our team here at WCF,” Joe Thompson, chief operating officer and executive vice president at Wintrust Commercial Finance, said. “His hiring further exhibits our commitment to expanding our reach to middle market companies as we continue to be a leading provider of equipment leases and loans in the U.S.”

“[Bruce Follese’s] demonstrated success and industry experience will contribute to our growth strategy and help increase new business originations,” Robert Harris, vice president of the western region at Wintrust Commercial Finance, said.

“I am very excited to join the team at WCF and take part in their rapidly growing direct origination platform,” Follese said. “Wintrust really has a unique story as a bank-owned direct lender. We can provide clients with financing for a wide range of asset types and credit profiles, while also offering structuring flexibility including loans, leases, equipment lines of credit and custom payment options. With such an array of products and a very aggressive cost of capital, I am confident that my clients will be presented with the best capital solution available on the market. I look forward to being an integral part of the WCF team and contributing to the organization’s long-term success.”