TSL Feature Articles
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The Cost of Uncertainty
Nov 24, 2025The secured lending industry has had to adjust to a series of exogenous shocks over the last two decades: the Great Financial Crisis (GFC), the COVID-19 pandemic and now fast-changing policies around tariffs and trade. The current environment presents a distinct set of challenges and risks— but many lenders appear to be fighting the last war, applying lessons learned during COVID that may prove ill-suited to this new era of uncertainty.
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The State of Lender Finance
Nov 19, 2025In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, lender finance has emerged as a dynamic and competitive sector. To gain a deeper understanding of the current trends, challenges, and priorities shaping this space, we spoke with five industry veterans: Russell Turley, first vice president, commercial banking team leader, Valley National Bank; Gen Merritt-Parikh, co-CEO, Haversine Funding; Patrick Green, SVP, head of Lender Finance, Flagstar Bank Stewart Hayes, managing director/SVP, Wells Fargo Capital Finance; and JD Gettmann, managing director, head of lender finance, MidCap Financial Services, LLC.
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AI Fraud in Lending: The Cannon at Your Gates
Nov 4, 2025Novel AI systems can circumvent existing fraud defenses at scale. New defenses are necessary to protect the safe operation of financial institutions. Lenders must act fast and adapt to new technology to avoid potentially catastrophic losses.
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Navigating Skilled Nursing Finance in 2025: A Test of Expertise
Oct 20, 2025Discover why 2025 marks a turning point for skilled nursing facilities in the U.S. This article reveals how shifting demographics, new reimbursement challenges, and operational pressures are transforming the industry’s financial landscape. -
Emerging Industries: Why Sponsor-Backed CPG Brands Are Turning To Alternative Debt More Than Ever Before
Oct 8, 2025In today’s uncertain economic climate, traditional lenders are tightening their standards, leaving high-growth consumer brands searching for flexible capital solutions. This article explores how alternative debt— asset-based lending, factoring, and purchase order financing—is emerging as a powerful complement to equity. From funding major retail orders to supporting vertical integration, discover why private credit is becoming a go-to strategy for consumer packaged goods companies seeking stability, growth, and smarter capital structures. -
The New Collateral Frontier: How Secured Finance Is Winning Over Unlikely Industries
Oct 7, 2025This article explores the transformative shift in secured finance, highlighting how industries like technology, healthcare, and media are leveraging innovative collateral and data-driven monitoring to secure funding. With rising interest rates and liquidity pressures, discover why these sectors are turning to secured finance and how lenders are adapting to meet their needs. -
Private Credit and ABL Partnerships Meet Middle-Market Challenges
Oct 1, 2025In this roundtable, executives share distinct perspectives on how asset-based lending and private credit intersect — revealing strategies that help strong businesses access capital, adapt to challenges, and continue moving forward.
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Bankruptcy Preference Risks to Secured Lenders Using Blocked Accounts: Why You Shouldn’t Sleep Comfortably at Night
Sep 29, 2025Outgoing lenders involved in payoff letters must navigate the hidden risks of preference liability, where payments may be clawed back by bankruptcy trustees. Nicolette Cohen of Buchalter explores how such risks can transform secured claims into unsecured ones and outlines key mitigation strategies to safeguard lender interests. -
Security Interests: They’re Only Half The Story
Sep 15, 2025In today’s competitive lending market, weakened loan structures and relaxed covenants have become the norm—leaving lenders with fewer safeguards when trouble arises. This article explores practical, asset-specific strategies to preserve collateral value and strengthen exit options, from inventory and receivables to real property and equity interests.
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Deep in the Heart of Texas
Sep 3, 2025Texas is quickly putting itself on the commercial finance map with recent new firms starting and a region that is clearly growing.
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Non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiaries: A Key Pitfall
Aug 25, 2025Explore how Non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiaries are reshaping the risk landscape for lenders. This article reveals how their EBITDA is often included in loan covenant calculations— despite not backing the debt—creating hidden vulnerabilities. Using real-world scenarios and the recent At Home transaction, it exposes the subtle, but serious, threats these subsidiaries pose, and why lenders must rethink their protections in today’s evolving market.
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Further Reflections on the Year of Elections – Where Are We Now?
Aug 20, 2025In a world where global politics and security seem to shift with every headline, understanding the forces behind today’s volatility is more crucial than ever. This article takes you inside the aftermath of 2024’s “Year of Elections,” exploring how voter pessimism, rising populism, and unpredictable leaders are redrawing the map of international risk. Discover why businesses and analysts alike must stay agile in this era of relentless change. -
Asset-based lending, or asset-backed lending? What is the difference, and why does it matter?
Jun 25, 2025The secured finance industry already knows the distinction between these two lending strategies. But these terms are often used interchangeably in public commentary, pitch materials, and industry conferences. If you are a capital allocator trying to capture the strengths of asset-based lending, or a regulator trying to understand what should be considered an asset-backed strategy, you have your work cut out for you.
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The Transformative Power of Servant Leadership in Modern Business
Discover how servant leadership is reshaping today’s business world. This article explores the core principles behind this transformative approach, shares real-world examples from top companies, and reveals why prioritizing the growth and well-being of your team can unlock extraordinary results. -
Where Are They Now? Catching up with Previous SFNet 40 Under 40 Award Winners
SFNet 40 Under 40 Award recipients share how the Award affected their careers and advice for the Class of 2025.
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5 YEARS LATER: Remote Work’s Enduring Impact on the Secured Finance Industry
Jun 9, 2025Five years after the COVID-19 lockdowns sparked a widespread shift to remote work, the secured finance industry is still exploring what “normal” looks like. In this in-depth article, leaders from across the sector share candid insights on productivity, culture, hiring, training, and communication in a post-pandemic world. From hybrid skeptics to fully remote advocates, their stories reveal the complexity—and opportunity—of evolving workplace models. -
SFNet Chapter Events Roundup
May 29, 2025SFNet has 18 local Chapters, offering the opportunity to connect you to the pulse of SFNet’s active communities across the country. While SFNet’s national conferences drive industry-wide dialogue, Chapter events let you dive into regional interests and challenges, providing opportunities to engage with peers who understand your market and build relationships that fuel growth.
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Forging the Future of Secured Finance: Highlights from SFNet’s 8th Emerging Leaders Summit
May 29, 2025SFNet's Emerging Leaders Summit was held in Boston, MA for the first time, April 30-May 1 and drew more than 150 attendees. The Summit, now in its 8th year, is a dynamic conference designed to unite professionals with 6-15 years of experience in secured finance, providing an unparalleled opportunity to gain insights from titans who have navigated the intricacies of the field. Attendees engaged in thought-provoking panels where industry luminaries offered a unique perspective on both the industry and effective leadership.
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Addressing Legal Challenges in Utilizing AI
May 27, 2025Since its 2022 release, ChatGPT has revolutionized industries, but its integration into legal and business operations raises critical concerns. This article explores pressing AI legal issues, such as compliance with evolving laws, data protection, and the consequences of AI errors in real-world applications. Understanding these concerns is essential for businesses to navigate AI adoption successfully.
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Inspiring the Next Generation: How the Secured Finance Foundation’s Guest Lecture Program and Martin I. Katz Scholarship Are Shaping Future Secured Finance Leaders
May 22, 2025Launched in 2019, SFFound’s Guest Lecture Program aims to educate and inspire young, diverse talent in the secured finance industry by introducing students to asset-based lending (ABL), factoring, and other secured lending disciplines.
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The UK Government Moves Closer to Potentially Damaging Legislation Impacting the UK ABL Industry and Its Clients
The UK Government announced 11th July 2019, through the publication of the Draft Finance Bill, that it is going ahead with the reinstatement of Crown Preference in respect of VAT and PAYE.
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PNC Bank Provides Financing to Receipt & Labeling Solutions Provider
May 30, 2019
PNC Bank, National Association, announced the closing of a $90 million senior secured credit facility for Iconex LLC (Iconex), a portfolio company of Greenwich, CT-based Atlas Holdings. PNC’s facility was provided in conjunction with a $67.5 million term loan and a $30 million delayed draw term loan provided by Cerberus Business Finance.
Click on the link below to meet some of the “difference makers” in the secured finance community. This issue of The Secured Lender celebrates those who are having a profound impact on both their communities and their organizations.
Previous TSL Articles
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Opening Doors: How SFNet’s Guest Lecture Program Connects Students to Careers in Secured Finance
Dec 3, 2025Launched in 2019, SFNet’s Guest Lecture Program aims to educate and inspire young, diverse talent in the secured finance industry by introducing students to asset-based lending (ABL), factoring, and other secured lending disciplines.In support of this lecture series, the Secured Finance Foundation ("SFFound" or "Foundation") connects industry leaders to undergraduate and graduate finance students. Here, we sat with Jennifer Palmer, CEO, JPalmer Collective, and Sarah Walsh, credit analyst, JPalmer Collective, to discuss how SFNet’s Guest Lecture Program brought them together.
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Building the Future of Asset-Based Lending at SLR Capital Partners: An Interview with Mac Fowle and Cedric Henley
Dec 1, 2025
In October, SLR Capital Partners appointed Mac Fowle as president of Asset-Based Lending. In this newly created role, Fowle leads the expansion of SLR's ABL platform by leveraging his more than 20 years of experience in the ABL industry for U.S. middle market borrowers. Fowle reports to Michael Gross and Bruce Spohler, co-founders of SLR, and Cedric Henley, chief risk officer of Specialty Finance. Prior to joining SLR, Fowle served as global head of Asset-Based Lending for J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking, responsible for leading the ABL group and supporting client financing needs for Commercial & Investment Banking clients.
Here TSL Express sat down with Mac Fowle and Cedric Henley to discuss the new role and first priorities.
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Interview with Neil Aaronson, President of Hilco Global
Nov 17, 2025Hilco Global recently announced a strategic transformation designed to position the company for its next stage of growth. The firm has streamlined its 20+ operating companies into two new divisions, Hilco Global Professional Services and Hilco Global Capital Solutions, creating a more integrated platform to deliver comprehensive financial solutions.
As part of this evolution, Neil Aaronson, along with other key executives, will play a central role in driving integration and execution. Here, Neil shares insight into the strategic vision behind the transformation and Hilco Global’s long-term growth goals. -
Strategic Report: U.S. Freight Capacity Shake-Out & Factoring Industry Risk Analysis
Nov 13, 2025The U.S. freight-transportation industry is undergoing one of the most significant structural contractions in its history. Market indicators suggest that up to 600,000 drivers may exit the industry amid suppressed freight volumes, rising operating costs, and persistent margin pressure. This transformation affects the entire transportation ecosystem and poses substantial credit, operational, and fraud risks for factoring companies. -
Navigating the Switch: Practical Considerations in the Transition from Commercial Bank Loans to Private Credit Loans in the Middle Market
Nov 11, 2025Many articles compare syndicated loans and private credit loans as asset classes, often noting the faster execution of private credit lenders and the lower cost of capital in syndicated bank deals. However, these types of articles often skip over the practical challenges that can arise when refinancing a syndicated bank loan with a private credit loan. This article will highlight several of those topics and the related considerations that borrowers in the middle market and lower middle market should keep in mind.
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Resilient and Strong: Q3 2025 ABL Market Sets Record Amid Macro Uncertainty
Nov 10, 2025
Amid a backdrop of rapidly changing geopolitical risks, trade policy recalibration, rising concern over the labor market and consumer spending and tepid M&A activity, the U.S. asset-based lending market delivered the highest quarterly volume on record excluding the volume relating to LIBOR cessation in 2023.
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Betty Hernandez: Leading SFNet with Vision and Dedication
Nov 3, 2025Betty Hernandez, executive vice president and chief credit officer, SLR Business Credit, and incoming SFNet president, shares her career journey and extensive involvement with SFNet. She discusses her priorities as SFNet president and vision for the future of the secured finance industry. -
Reflections on Asset-Based Lending with Mike Scolaro
Oct 29, 2025
In the ever-evolving world of secured lending, few voices resonate as deeply as Mike Scolaro, Group Head of Asset-Based Lending at BMO Commercial Bank. Recently featured on SFNet Presents In The Know with host Barry Bobrow, Scolaro, who has announced he will be retiring in the coming months, shared candid reflections on his career, the transformation of ABL, and what lies ahead for the industry.
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SFNet’s 81st Annual Convention: Building Connections and Strategies for the Future of Secured Finance
Oct 27, 2025Featuring a new Tuesday-Thursday format, with a golf outing on Friday, this year’s SFNet Annual Convention offers unique networking opportunities and timely topical panels to help attendees continue to rise to the challenge. In a time of disruption and transformation, the secured finance community is resilient, innovative, and determined to thrive. The Convention serves as and your opportunity to discover new business prospects, build meaningful connections, and gain critical insights to move your organization forward.
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The First Brands Collapse: A Cautionary Tale
Oct 14, 2025While lenders have always dealt with “bad or problem loans” as part of the business, the size, complexity and speed in which First Brands collapsed into bankruptcy has rattled lending markets.
The Secured Lender
SFNet's The 81st Annual Convention Issue
