TSL Feature Articles

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. 

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Previous TSL Articles

  • Eileen Wubbe 150x150 Ready, set, mentor!
    Aug 16, 2022
    The Secured Finance Foundation, in conjunction with SFNet’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, developed and launched a Mentoring Program that provides the next generation access to the knowledge and expertise of the most talented and respected executives in the secured finance industry. The mentoring initiative was created to serve the secured finance community by bridging the gap between established veterans and those new to their careers. By focusing on inclusivity, SFNet hopes to offer a missing component in its members’ professional trajectories.
  • Juanita Schwartzkopf_150 How are inventory levels impacting cash flow and performance?
    Aug 15, 2022
    Since the COVID-19 shutdowns, discussions about supply chain and inventory levels have focused on the need to build inventories to offset supply chain risk.  Companies have replaced just in time inventory approaches with higher inventory levels to offset the supply chain problems.  In addition to building inventory quantity levels, the per unit value of the inventory has been increasing as evidenced by inflation at 40-year highs.  The June CPI was 9.1% and the June PPI was 11.3%. 
  • Terry Keating - Access Capital - Headshot -2022 Interview with Terry Keating, CEO of Access Capital
    Aug 9, 2022

    In June, Access Capital, a leading independent lender to the staffing industry, announced it named Terry Keating chief executive officer. Recently TSL Express’ senior editor met with Keating to discuss how his career trajectory helped prepare him for this role, his goals and responding to some of the challenges the industry is experiencing.

  • LauraJakubowski_GoldbergKohn_150 SFNet International Finance & Development Committee Launches ABL Cross-Border Database
    Jul 28, 2022

    SFNet's International Finance and Development Committee has recently announced the launch of its ABL Cross-Border Database.  The database is a comprehensive compilation of information from publicly available credit agreements in large cross-border asset-based loans. The database currently includes 61 transactions, representing all ABL cross-border transactions closed and filed with the SEC from 2011 to present (excluding those transactions involving only the United States and Canada), and will be updated regularly to cover new transactions. 

  • Eileen Wubbe 150x150 SFNet's YoPro Leadership Summit Is Back in Person
    Jul 26, 2022
    After two years of virtual and hybrid conferences, SFNet's YoPro Leadership Summit returns in person August 3 to 4, 2022 at King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta, GA.  Young professionals of the secured finance industry will hear from industry leaders, connect with peers, and discover together how to find success in new, flexible work structures. This year’s speakers and panelists will provide a market perspective, share an e-commerce update, and discuss diversity, equity and inclusiveness initiatives. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from industry titans and former SFNet 40 Under 40 Award winners. We’ll also have small-group networking sessions, icebreakers, group social activities and receptions in the evening.
  • Juanita Schwartzkopf_150 What Are the Top Cybersecurity Concerns for 2022?
    Jul 18, 2022

    With the second half of 2022 underway, it is a good time to evaluate cybersecurity issues and concerns. The cybersecurity front continues to be an area of significant risk for businesses. In this article we will explore recent trends, and specific industries at more risk of attack. For a perspective on the dollar impact, the largest payment in 2021 was a $40 million payment made by an insurance company. For a perspective on number of attacks, there is a cyber-attack every 11 seconds.

    The National Cyber Security Alliance estimated that 60% of small businesses fail within six months of an attack. 

  • Mignon Winston_150 Mentoring or “Holding the door for those entering behind you”
    Unless you’re the most junior person in your work environment, everyone should mentor their less-experienced team members.  Helping them learn should be as natural an effort as holding the door for those entering a room behind you.  These efforts will create experienced individuals with broad-based perspectives on how to approach their responsibilities within the secured lending industry.  Leaders within SFNet member organizations generally agree there is a lack of “bench strength” in the secured lending industry.  Greater preponderance of mentoring would tie junior people more to their organizations and to the industry as a whole.
  • The Secured Finance Foundation: Helping to Advance the Future of Secured Finance
    Sep 20, 2022
    The Secured Finance Foundation’s Corporate Giving Campaign, created to help prepare the next generation of leaders, provide essential data that drives smart business decisions, and invest in the communities of which our members are a part, will conclude on September 30. 

    As the secured finance industry continually grows and evolves, it takes knowledge, effort, and financial support for the Secured Finance Foundation (SFFound) to keep up with these changes and fulfill its mission. The Secured Finance Foundation encourages, facilitates, and supports education, innovation, and charitable works for the betterment of organizations and professionals who deliver and enable secured finance— and for the communities of which they are a part. Since it was founded 31 years ago, the Foundation has raised approximately $9.5 million to date. 
  • Bill-Kearney-Headshot_150 Six Actions Your Retail Clients Can Take Now to Counter Economic Volatility
    May 18, 2022

    After historic GDP growth and retail sales in 2021, are the days of unprecedented growth over for your retail clients? The short answer: It’s complicated.

    If the last two years have shown us anything, it is that uncertainty is the new normal. When COVID shut down the economy in March 2020, the impact on the retail sector was profound. In some parts of the country, brick and mortar stores were closed for up to 90 days and in-person sales ground to a halt for all but the most essential items.

  • Eric Gul-Tiger_150 The Art and Science of Loaning Against Trademarks
    May 16, 2022
    Trademarks are one of the fastest-growing collateral categories in the ABL sector—due in no small part to the ease with which owners of properly supported brands can sell their products via multiple channels, including e-commerce, m-commerce, wholesale distribution, and retail stores. On the consumer side, younger generations are driving much of the e-commerce and m-commerce demand. They have grown up absorbing branded content on Tik-Tok and Instagram and have also discovered the convenience of making brick-and-mortar returns.