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  • Ken Wengrod, FTC Founded for Entrepreneurs By an Entrepreneur

    FTC Commercial Corporation was launched in 2002 with a strong focus on small and medium-size enterprise. Co-founder Ken Wengrod tapped into his experience, having worked in factoring and retail to create a company that understands the entire trade cycle of manufacturing and importing.

  • DarrenPalestine_Headshot_150x150 Young Professionals in a New Era of Networking
    Even the basic handshake has changed.  Scanning the room; trying to identify the individual you are trying to meet, through a mask in a sea of masks, generally becomes a guessing game.  When you finally lock eyes with the individual on the other side; you extend your hand out- open faced- only to be met with a closed fist and the awkward “who switches” silent discussion ensues.  When your hands finally come to an agreement of where to meet after some laughter, you can now begin what is the new normal — an overly distanced discussion where raising your voice is needed to make sure your counterpart can hear you amongst the other overly raised voices.
  • Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Appoints Specialty Industries Leaders

    Wells Fargo Equipment Finance (WFEF), a division of Wells Fargo Commercial Capital (WFCC), announced the appointment of three key leaders in its Specialty Industries business unit, led by Executive Vice President Byron Payne.   

  • Monroe Capital Supports Formation of Magnolia Wash Holdings
    Monroe Capital LLC (“Monroe”) today announced it acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on the funding of a senior credit facility to support the formation of Magnolia Wash Holdings (“Magnolia”) via the acquisitions of Oasis Express (“Oasis”) and Wash Factory by Express Car Wash, LLC (“Express”).
  • David Morse photo The Main Street Lending Program: Can it Work with an Asset-Based Credit Facility?

    As the Secured Finance Network and its members have examined the Main Street Lending Program, there have been two aspects of the program in particular that have been identified as impacting on the utility of the program for borrowers from asset-based lenders. 

    Both points, along with some others, have been raised in letters from the Secured Finance Network to the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve.  And the Secured Finance Network has followed up with specific questions to Treasury arising from the “Main Street Lending Program Frequently Asked Questions” published on July 31, 2020 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (the “FAQs”) in understanding what is permitted under the Program that could significantly impact how it may be used with an asset-based facility.

  • Juanita Schwartzkopf How Can Companies Deal with Labor Shortages?

    As of March 31, 2021 the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 8.1 million job openings, with 3.1 million open jobs in the south, 1.8 million jobs in the west, 1.3 million jobs in the northeast and 1.8 million jobs in the Midwest. Private job openings are 7.3 million of the total job openings, with 0.8 million government jobs open. The private job openings are across all industries.

    The unemployment rate by state varies dramatically from 2.9% in Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont to 8.3% in California, Connecticut, and New Mexico, 8.5% in New York and 9.0% in Hawaii. The overall unemployment rate is 6.1%.

  • O&G Downturn in 2020 and Why It is Different This Time
    The shock to the U.S. Oil & Gas market in first quarter 2020 was sparked by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, massive oversupply and plummeting demand. This shock is now rapidly accelerating into a crisis for upstream E&P, midstream and oilfield services companies, as well as their many financial partners and stakeholders.  Headlines in the media focus on the "bust cycle" spurred by public company bankruptcies such as Chesapeake Energy and Diamond Offshore.  However, this summer we will hear more about middle-market players reeling from severe short-term impacts and the reality that some wells may not return to profitability (if they really were profitable) anytime soon.  While we do not have a crystal ball to foresee the future, our research and oil price sentiment does not indicate a substantive rebound in pricing-per-barrel before the first quarter of 2021 or later.
  • Ares Commercial Finance has Provided a $45 Million Senior Secured Revolving Line of Credit to Southern States Cooperative, Inc.
    Ares Commercial Finance (“ACF”) announced that it has provided a $45 million senior secured revolving line of credit to Southern States Cooperative, Inc. (“SSC”).  Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, SSC is a retail agricultural cooperative serving the agronomy, energy and farm supply needs of its members and customers across eight states in the Southeastern United States.  Proceeds of the financing were used to refinance their existing credit facility and for ongoing working capital support.
  • Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Could Mean More VC Challenges for Beauty Startups
    The initial panic over the Silicon Valley Bank collapse is over, but the VC-backed beauty startup landscape is now grappling with the potential long-term effects. 

    Reconsideration of which banks to use to keep their businesses’ cash safe is just the beginning of founders’ concerns, as the closure of the bank could have a broader impact on the VC landscape overall, say experts. Startup beauty brands including outdoor brand Kinfield, skin-care brand Herbivore Botanicals and period health company The Flex Co. were among those banking with Silicon Valley Bank before the collapse. But the event has caused many other startup brands to rethink how and where they store their cash. 
  • Huntington Business Credit Adds Asset-based Lending Team for Healthcare Finance
    Huntington National Bank has expanded its Huntington Business Credit team with the addition of a Washington, D.C.-based group focused on asset-based lending in the healthcare industry. The new team, which will serve asset-based lending needs for middle market healthcare clients across the U.S., consists of five healthcare-finance industry veterans who recently joined Huntington from Sector Financial.
  • MARC-COLE-768x763 Meet Marc Cole, Co-Founder and CEO of SG Credit Partners, Inc.

    SG Credit Partners provides situational capital ranging from $1-$10 million for the lower middle market with a focus on non-sponsored businesses. Headquartered in Southern California with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Portland, the SG Credit Partners team has provided in excess of $250 million to 150-plus borrowers across a variety of industries and continues to expand its national footprint. Here, Marc discusses SG Credit’s efforts in going from a niche lender to a broader platform in order to better work with asset-based lenders and banks and why they are broadening their scope.

  • Maria Dikeos Syndicated ABL Volume up in 2019, Deal Count Down

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

  • The End of Libor Is a $12 Trillion Headache for Loan Bankers

    The whole financial world is working to move away from Libor and other interbank lending benchmarks, which for decades have been used to set borrowing costs on bonds and loans, as well as products ranging from derivatives to credit cards. Since 2018, more than $150 billion worth of bonds have been sold using rates set by a new generation of benchmarks. The syndicated loan market is lagging far behind, with at least $12 trillion of deals needing to be replaced or rewritten so they follow a Libor alternative. There are no easy fixes in sight despite potential deadlines as early as this year.

  • Rachel Hersh Vernon Francois: Prestige Capital Supports Entrepreneur’s Partnership with Sally Beauty

    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.

  • Gerber Finance Launches Gerber+
    Gerber Finance, a leading finance partner for companies experiencing accelerated growth, is expanding its portfolio and client offerings with the launch of Gerber+. This new division will service businesses seeking a higher level of funding ranging from $10 to $25 million. Gerber Finance currently focuses on facilities up to $10 million. Gerber is also announcing its first Gerber+ client, Molded Acoustical Products (MAP) of Easton, a full-service insulation manufacturing solutions company.

    Gerber has established this new division alongside its parent company, eCapital Corp., ("eCapital"), a leading alternative finance provider, to help companies grow and achieve their mission by accelerating their access to capital. The new division will be led by Senior Vice President Entela Semini, who will serve as Northeast director of Gerber+.

  • C2FO Expands Leadership Team With Addition of Chief Credit Officer and Chief Accounting Officer
    C2FO, the world’s on-demand working capital platform, announced the addition of two new executive roles to its leadership team, naming Dan Karas as its first chief credit officer and promoting Controller Bri Simoneau as the first chief accounting officer. Karas brings extensive leadership experience in lending and risk management, and Simoneau brings deep knowledge and experience in financial controls and reporting. Both executives will be essential as C2FO continues to enhance its business and overall global footprint.
  • Eileen Wubbe 150x150 SFNet's 2021 Asset-Based Capital Conference…It’s a whole new ballgame

    On March 9-11, we will bring ABCC to you live online, with the great content and opportunities for networking that you have come to expect from the conference. The Conference will be accessible through our acclaimed SFNet Connect Platform, offering hours of dedicated and facilitated meeting time each day. This year, we will be offering more insightful sessions than ever before.

    “While we are all disappointed that we won’t be able to get together in person for this year’s event, the move to a virtual format has opened up many new possibilities for the actual content,” said Barry Bobrow, managing director, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and ABCC Conference Chair. “ABCC has always been known for having rich and important content for attendees.  Without the requirement for our presenters to be in attendance in Las Vegas we have been able to significantly broaden and strengthen our content for 2021, with significantly more segments than we have been able to include in prior ABCC events. 

  • Fifth Third Business Capital Provides $9.4 Million for Amglo Kemlite
    Fifth Third Business Capital, a division of Fifth Third Bank, announced it acted as sole lender and administrative agent on the funding of a new $9,417,500 senior credit facility to Bensenville, Illinois-based Amglo Kemlite Laboratories, Inc. Fifth Third’s credit facility was used to support the acquisition of Amglo Kemlite by NewCastle Partners, LLC, and to provide working capital to support future growth.
  • SFNet WISF Career Corner
    This feature provides advice from WISF members to young professionals on a specific topic. We need your input. If you have a question you would like to see answered in this column, please submit to Michele Ocejo at mocejo@sfnet.com.
  • ArleneBonnet_150 What Happened to the Back Room? A Discussion on Operations Management and Career Paths in Secured Finance Operations

    What of back rooms?

    One important thing that we have learned over the recent past, through our observations of societal upheaval and current events, is that words matter.  Reflecting on the often-misleading references that are used in our lives, and industry, is an opportunity to open our minds, deepen our sensitivities, and expand our learning opportunities to what exists in our current collective reality.

    I've often heard the term, back office, used by some ABL and/or other leaders within bank organizations.  Users of this term surely do not intend to be offensive, however, it is an outdated reference that has no place in the more complex secured lending operations of today. 

The Secured Lender

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