Encina Lender Finance Expands Investment Team and Hires Controller

Atlanta, GA and San Francisco, CA – December 5, 2024 – Encina Lender Finance, LLC (“ELF”) announced today that the company has expanded its investment team with the addition of two structured credit industry veterans.  The new hires – Ashish Sinha (Managing Director) and Avi Azour (Principal) – report directly to Geoff Beard (ELF’s CEO & CIO) and are responsible for sourcing, underwriting and executing senior credit facilities and forward flow purchase programs for both emerging and established specialty finance companies.  In addition, the company announced that it hired Dennis Murphy as Controller, reporting to Joe Ressa (ELF’s CFO & COO).

Ashish joined ELF in November 2024 as Managing Director - Investments. He served most recently as a senior investment professional at Elliott Investment Management, where he focused on structured credit and asset-backed investments in the consumer, residential real estate and esoteric asset classes.  Previously, Mr. Sinha held positions of increasing responsibility at Waterfall Asset Management, Oak Hill Advisors, PIMCO and Goldman Sachs.

Avi joined ELF in December 2024 as Principal - Investments. He worked most recently at Architect Capital as a Principal on the investment team with a primary focus on asset-backed credit investments for consumer specialty finance companies. Previously, Mr. Azour held positions of increasing responsibility at i80 Group and Credit Suisse’s Securitized Products Finance Group, where he executed asset-backed transactions in the consumer, aviation leasing, esoteric, residential real estate and commercial real estate asset classes.

Dennis joined ELF in November 2024 as Controller.  He served most recently as Controller at Aduro Advisors, a fund administrator.  Previously, Mr. Murphy held positions of increasing responsibility at State Street Corporation and PwC, where he focused primarily on fund accounting and external audit work.  

About Encina Lender Finance

Operating from both coasts, ELF offers delayed draw term loans and forward flow purchase programs ranging in size from $50 - $150 million to emerging and established specialty finance companies with strong junior capital sponsorship. ELF targets ABF investments in granular pools of short-to-intermediate duration asset classes in the consumer and commercial finance sectors.  Targeted consumer asset classes include unsecured installment and revolving loans (direct-to-consumer and point-of-sale), secured vehicle finance, home improvement loans, rent-to-own/lease-to-own, debt consolidation loans, and student lending (in-school vocational, refi). Targeted commercial asset classes include small balance SMB lending (both direct-to-business and embedded point-of-sale), merchant cash advance, small-ticket equipment finance, corporate charge card, earned wage access, and supply chain/trade finance. In addition, ELF provides streamlined “first-out” financing to other like-minded private credit investors in the specialty finance sector. ELF utilizes a combination of cutting-edge technologies and rigorous collateral-level analysis to generate differentiated investment insights and creative solutions to its counterparties’ credit portfolio financing needs.  For additional information, please visit ELF’s website at: https://lenderfinance.encinacapital.com.