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Axiom Bank, N.A., a Maitland-based, leading community bank, recently expanded its factoring and asset-based lending division with the hiring of Mark J. Simshauser as SVP of Allied Affiliated Funding.

Based on Long Island, NY, Simshauser will be responsible for expanding Allied and Axiom’s existing commercial portfolio by working with business owners and centers of influence throughout the Northeast to find solutions that meet their individual financial needs. 

CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) today announced that its Healthcare Finance business served as sole lead arranger of senior debt financing aggregating $48 million for the acquisition of a portfolio of medical office buildings.

The borrower is a joint venture between Kayne Anderson Real Estate and Remedy Medical Properties. The portfolio properties are located in four states and collectively total more than 189,000 square feet. 

Wingspire Capital Holdings (“Wingspire”) today announced that it has provided a $36.5 million senior secured loan to R.W. Sidley (“RWS”). Loan proceeds were used to refinance its existing bank facility, while providing a more patient and flexible capital structure to help management achieve its strategic growth initiatives.

Armstrong Teasdale partners provide lenders with up-to-date information on the complexities of lending to the legalized marijuana industry.

Perhaps the most frequently asked question by growth-oriented lenders is “How and when can we lend into the rapidly growing and already major industry of legalized marijuana?”

The answer is: “It is not so simple.”

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.

FOCUS

If you seek tranquility, do less. Or (more accurately) do what’s essential. Do less, better. Because most of what we do or say is not essential

  -- Marcus Aurelius

Lenders (and most others) struggle with a particular problem almost every day: how to prioritize deals they can get done versus those they can’t. Prioritization affects all of us, but how practically can we focus on what is essential? We are living beings and our most important asset is time, so let’s use it wisely. But how do we know if we are using it sensibly?  Seneca similarly stated,

It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it

Granted, he was referencing our lives and not lending, but the lesson still applies. What is essential in lending?  To be successful in lending one only to needs consider duration – safety – return and contingencies (perhaps a subset of safety).

CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) today announced that its Power and Energy business served as coordinating lead arranger on a $151 million financing for the 250-megawatt Galloway I solar farm planned for Concho County, Texas.

The financing was arranged on behalf of Skyline Renewables and 8minute Solar Energy (8minute), which will continue to jointly oversee development and construction of the project. Galloway I was acquired by Skyline Renewables, an experienced renewables company backed by the infrastructure team at Ardian, a world-leading private investment house.

China has locked down entire cities and restricted travel to limit the spread of the epidemic, with serious implications for Chinese companies and global supply chains. US technology giant Apple warned that it would not meet its revenue guidance for the March quarter because of slower iPhone production and weaker demand in China.

The uncertain fallout from the coronavirus outbreak in China has paralysed syndications across Asia, as lenders struggle to assess the damage to Chinese businesses and borrowers that rely heavily on Chinese demand.

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.

White Oak ABL (“White Oak”), an affiliate of White Oak Global Advisors, LLC, announced it funded and arranged a $99.5 million senior secured credit facility to an international infant and toddler toy and product manufacturer to finance the company’s growth and ongoing working capital.

The senior secured credit facility consists of an $80 million working capital facility secured by receivables and inventories in the US, UK, Netherlands, and Hong Kong and a $19.5 million IP term loan. White Oak is the agent for the working capital facility and Gordon Brothers is the agent for the IP term loan with White Oak as a co-lender.

- Debt covenant amended

- Raised $120 million in additional revolver capacity

- Total liquidity position of $3.8 billion

- Cost reduction program launched with target 2020 savings of $500 million

Geopolitical Strategist Peter Zeihan is a global energy, demographic and security expert. Zeihan’s worldview marries the realities of geography and populations to a deep understanding of how global politics impact markets and economic trends, helping industry leaders navigate today’s complex mix of geopolitical risks and opportunities.  Zeihan will be the keynote speaker at SFNet’s Annual Convention in New York City, November 13-15.

This column highlights the hard work and dedication of SFNet committee volunteers. Here we speak with William Bence, the chair of SFNet’s Young Professionals (YoPro) Committee and principal, Wingspire Capital, who was profiled in the September 40 Under 40 theme issue of The Secured Lender magazine.