Eileen Kowalski, MBA, is SVP and national recurring field exam manager at PNC Business Credit and the recipient of the SFNet's Harry H. Chen Instructor of the Year Award, which will be presented at SFNet's Annual Convention in Chicago next month. She is a 35-plus year veteran of commercial finance and asset-based lending. Eileen is integral to PNCBC’s Field Exam training program. 

Our “Anatomy of a Deal” case studies offer an inside view of how secured finance professionals approach complex situations and develop solutions tailored to each borrower’s needs. 

High-growth brands often face a dangerous financing gap: needing capital faster than traditional lenders are willing to provide it. This article examines how one consumer brand moved away from costly merchant cash advances and toward a structured asset-based lending solution that better supported growth, preserved equity, and created a path to bankability.

Our “Anatomy of a Deal” case studies offer an inside view of how secured finance professionals approach complex situations and develop solutions tailored to each borrower’s needs.  Some of the most compelling deals arise when a great business simply finds itself without the right capital partner. That was precisely the situation when Altriarch was introduced to a West Coast-based manufacturer with more than 50 years of operating history, industry-leading products, and a capital base in need of a restructure.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is now refunding tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which the Supreme Court ruled unlawful. Most of the commentary treats this as good news for importers. For asset-based lenders, it raises a different question, one that belongs in due diligence: Who is actually entitled to the money?

For manufacturers, growth often depends on having capital that moves as quickly as the business does. This article shows how asset-based lending and factoring can help companies refinance debt, improve liquidity and invest in equipment, operations and expansion—without being limited by traditional credit structures. For companies weighing their next move, these real-world examples offer a practical starting point.

SFNet’s Mid-Year Factoring Survey shows accelerating volume, expanding funds in use and remarkably stable credit performance as inflation, tariffs and higher financing costs reinforce factoring’s role in the working-capital market.

SFNet’s Q2 2026 Asset-Based Lending Survey shows a sharp rebound in new commitments, improving bank credit performance and renewed optimism about demand—even as inflation, higher rates and geopolitical uncertainty complicate the outlook.

When it comes to international growth, many U.S. manufacturers encounter a familiar friction point. They’re thrilled to see healthy overseas demand for their goods. They’re ready to export more products, enter new markets, and increase sales. Yet they’re constrained by a common financial reality: obtaining adequate liquidity. One often overlooked option is government-backed export finance. Programs such as the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Working Capital Guarantee can help qualified exporters bridge liquidity gaps, support larger orders, and expand into international markets.