TSL Feature Articles

Although experts generally agree that networking is important to career success, a surprisingly large number of professionals dread the process to the point that the mere mention of the word makes them anxious and irritated. Lynn Tanner of Winston and Strawn provides a detailed “cheat sheet” for taking the pain out of networking.

What does it take to break the proverbial glass ceiling in secured finance? What does the journey to the “top” look like for women in financial services? We interviewed four C-Suite women and here is what they had to say. The women we spoke with are Meredith Carter, president and CEO, Context Business Lending; Miin Chen, COO, Siena Lending Group; Deborah Monosson, president & CEO, Boston Financial & Equity Corporation; and Jennifer Yount, partner, Paul Hastings LLP.

Secured Finance executives and an executive recruiter discuss how the industry can attract and retain more women.

In January, Gerber Finance announced the completion of its CEO succession strategy, naming longtime president Jennifer Palmer as CEO with Founder Gerald Joseph transitioning to his new role as strategic advisor and chairman of the board.

Ryan Jaskiewicz is CEO of 12five Capital, LLC. He started 12five Capital in early 2006 at the age of 23. Jaskiewicz attended University of Illinois at Chicago where he received a bachelor of arts in political science.

Editor's Note: SFNet’s Advocacy Committee is prioritizing initiatives to support our bank, non-bank and service provider constituents.  A key component of this is analyzing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was enacted on March 27, for specific opportunities to address the needs of our members and borrowers across asset classes and industries, as the focus now turns to implementation.

Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get.” Partnering with other lenders can be similar. You don’t know what you are going to get if you jump into partnerships without doing your due diligence and establishing alliances with the best partners.

On Sunday night, March 22, 2020, the federal banking agencies (OCC, FDIC, NCUA, Federal Reserve), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the State Conference of Bank Supervisors issued an Interagency Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for Financial Institutions Working with Customers Affected by the Coronavirus.

Aaron Hughes looks at some of the ways directors might misuse their invoice finance facilities and how lenders can stem any potential losses. 

The lightning-fast spread of COVID-19 around the world has quickly transformed our commercial and financial outlook, ending one of the longest economic expansions in U.S. history and throwing future prosperity into doubt. As conditions deteriorate from here, the likelihood that lenders will need to consider a forbearance is high, and as such, now is a good time to identify at-risk credit facilities and perform any necessary due diligence.

As circumstances are moving rapidly, companies and their lenders are dealing with unprecedented times.  While companies try to determine the full impact of the current economic tailspin on their businesses, lenders are looking to understand their risks and how they can respond to them.

The credit agreement sets out the rules of the road for the relationship between a company and its lenders.  In the list of credit agreement provisions set out below we attempt to provide a map for the secured lender for navigating those rules, anticipating where there may be bumps or wrong turns and providing some guidance for where a lender may go in the credit agreement to determine its path when confronted with a borrower in distress.

As circumstances are moving rapidly, companies and their lenders are dealing with unprecedented times.  While companies try to determine the full impact of the current economic tailspin on their businesses, lenders are looking to understand their risks and how they can respond to them.

The credit agreement sets out the rules of the road for the relationship between a company and its lenders.  In the list of credit agreement provisions set out below we attempt to provide a map for the secured lender for navigating those rules, anticipating where there may be bumps or wrong turns and providing some guidance for where a lender may go in the credit agreement to determine its path when confronted with a borrower in distress.

Do not underestimate the impact of the Coronavirus on a company’s Q1 and Q2 2020 financial results.  The supply chain issues are unknown, the potential economic slowdown is unknown, and the length of time the impact will be felt is unknown.

This will certainly be a standard excuse for performance weakness that will be heard over the next year.  Be prepared!

As a lender, which borrowers do you consider for impact, and what do you do to stay ahead of the problem?

If passed, proposed New York State Senate Bill S5470 (“the Bill”) would impose a disclosure requirement upon certain New York commercial lenders. This proposal follows a trend exemplified most notably in California, which amended the California Financing Law to require licensed commercial lenders and brokers to issue new disclosures to commercial borrowers in that state, including loans made via an internet platform.

The required disclosures of the Bill approximate those in the loan estimate form issued to home buyers by residential mortgage lenders under the federal Truth in Lending Act. The Bill has several exceptions, leaving much of the commercial lending community unaffected and placing substantial regulatory burdens on a narrow remaining segment

Vernon Francois grew up in a Rastafarian household where the weekly tradition was having his hair braided every Sunday. The experience was so painful that he decided to learn how to braid hair himself, using carpets and window shade edges as practice.

All that practice paid off. When he was just Vernon Francois grew up in a Rastafarian household where the weekly tradition was having his hair braided every Sunday. The experience was so painful that he decided to learn how to braid hair himself, using carpets and window shade edges as practice.

The author discusses the potential perils of improper use of “incorporation by reference” in commercial lending transactions, as well as potential strategies for reducing potential incorporation by reference hazards.

Refinitiv’s director of analytics shares with readers the latest data surrounding the syndicated market.

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.

While we are all continually reminded how important networking is to our careers and business development, the reality is that the Covid-19 pandemic simply does not allow us to use traditional methods to network because activities such as attending in-person networking events and meeting face-to-face for coffees and dinners are on hold for now. 

Does this mean that your networking efforts can be (or need to be) put “on hold”?  The answer is a resounding no. 

Denise Albanese of Cost Reduction Solutions discusses the origin of her firm that was started by her husband, Michael F. Albanese, CPA, as a sole practitioner field examiner. 

Denise also discusses the new procedures implemented when the Covid-19 crisis began, what field exams in the future may look like and what makes a business successful. 

Ares Commercial Finance (“ACF”) announced that Mitch Drucker has joined as a Partner. Mr. Drucker will be a part of the ACF leadership team comprised of Mitch Goldstein, Ryan Cascade, John Nooney and Oleh Szczupak.  He will also sit on the Investment Committee for ACF and be involved in all aspects of the business from origination to portfolio management.

During the Secured Finance Network’s webinar on the healthcare finance sector, streamed May 15, Allen Wilen of EisnerAmper, described a future scenario affected by human longevity, geographic location and how COVID-19 affected you. New trends relevant to finance executives are accelerating out of necessity because of the sudden impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the weaknesses it illuminated.

The Post-COVID New Normal For Store Closing and Strategic Sale Events. Reflections by SB360’s Scott Bernstein.

“Why aren’t you in the water?  Nobody’s going in.  Please… get in the water.”  Those pleading words uttered in the 1975 blockbuster movie “Jaws” were part of an ill-fated effort by Mayor Larry Vaughn to save his fictional sleepy beach town from financial ruin.  Those of us who saw the movie or have binged watched Shark Week re-runs know how that worked out for the reluctant residents of Amity.

White Oak Commercial Finance is pleased to announce that Martin F. Efron has joined the firm as the portfolio manager in New York, serving the Northeast region. He will report to Bob Grbic, CEO and president of White Oak Commercial Finance.

As we make it to week seven of the coronavirus pandemic, it is hard not to reflect on this incredible period in history. The pandemic and the associated COVID-19 virus are an enigma that is bringing the world economy seemingly to its knees. First the virus was dismissed by the Western world as a mere flu-like illness originating in Asia, then an epidemic that might disrupt the Chinese economy, then an Italian problem, a cruise ship issue, a Washington state complication, and a New York dilemma. Now, it has finally been recognized for the major world concern that it is. The coronavirus has erupted into a global pandemic with over three million cases that will likely have a global and possibly U.S. pandemic-related death toll second only to the Spanish flu of 1918. We already know that this pandemic will have the greatest impact on the global economy since perhaps the bubonic plague of 1342, also known as the Black Death.