Daniel Infante

Portfolio Manager, Investors Bank

40 Under 40 Category: Underwriting

Daniel Infante is a portfolio manager for the Equipment Finance business at Investors Bank. He currently serves as an underwriter focusing on leases and loans secured by equipment, along with syndicated Lender Finance transactions. Customers include both public and private companies, ranging across various industries. Daniel is also involved in maintaining the portfolio, which includes completing annual reviews, collection of financial statements, and covenant compliance tracking. Daniel started his career in 2015 with EverBank Capital Equipment Finance (predecessor to Investors Bank Equipment Finance) as an operations analyst where he assisted in the deal process by reviewing transaction documents for completeness and accuracy. 

Daniel graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a bachelor degree in finance. He enjoys playing golf, watching sports, and going to the beach. Daniel resides in New Jersey. 

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it? 

No matter how big or small, important or not, a project seems, do it to the best of your ability.

This was said to me early on and has stuck with me ever since. By doing every project as good as possible, it will lead to new projects and increased responsibilities. Fully understanding every project and getting the most out of it creates a well-rounded individual who can draw from these experiences in their current role. Even if something doesn’t seem like it pertains to my current day-to-day responsibility, there’s a reason it needs to be done and allows me to work on something outside of my primary role. People tend to have multiple responsibilities and you can be a valuable asset if you can handle things outside of your day-to-day role.  

What is your definition of success?

Professional success to me is getting better in your role every day. There is something new to learn each day. Every transaction is different working in the lending industry. Customers have different needs and business models so there is always something new. With every underwriting I have picked up different lessons that I try and apply going forward to improve my work product. 

Did you change the way you approach work while working remotely during the pandemic?  Have these habits stayed with you as we emerge from the crisis?

I approach change and technology differently. Everyone had to learn to embrace change during the pandemic. We needed to find ways to still complete our jobs in a different working environment. Our teams approach to meetings changed from face-to-face to online. Processes that required people to be present in an office were transitioned to online. For most, the pandemic forced us to work remotely for some period of time and I think people were reluctant at first. 2020 proved that people can still get their jobs done while working from home. It showed the importance of having the right technology and not falling behind in this space. We needed the very best to be able to effectively communicate with team members and customers to still get our jobs done. 

These habits have certainly stayed as we emerged from the crisis. Some old processes were permanently replaced as better processes were discovered through the pandemic. In most cases it has led to something that is more effective and allows time to focus on other tasks.   

How do you define a good leader?

I have been privileged working for great leaders in my career and each brings different qualities. A good leader to me is someone who can get a group of people all moving in the same direction to achieve a common goal. They force the very best out of everyone because they are also giving it their best and lead by example. They aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and tackle any project, whether important or not, and look out for what is best for the group and not just themselves.