Mac Fowle is the global head of Asset-Based Lending (ABL) for J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking. He is responsible for the end-to-end strategic leadership of the ABL group in supporting the financing needs for clients across Commercial Banking and the Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB).

Monroe Capital LLC today announced it acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on the funding of a $120 million senior credit facility to support the recapitalization of an infusion therapy business by a private equity sponsor.

The company is a provider of home and alternate-site infusion therapy and complex specialty pharmacy solutions to patients. 

Kudu Investment Management, LLC, (Kudu) a provider of permanent capital solutions to asset and wealth managers globally, today announced the closing of a $300 million credit facility with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), a leading U.S. mutual life insurance company, to finance Kudu's growth initiatives.

Bantry Bay Capital Limited (“Bantry Bay” or the “Company”), the specialist lender, has established a joint venture partnership with funds advised by Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited and its affiliates (together “Elliott”). Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited is an affiliate of Elliott investment Management, L.P., the global fund manager with approximately $41.8 billion in assets under management.

Santander Bank, N.A. (“Santander Bank” or “Santander”) today announced the appointment of Scott Baldinelli as Head of New England Middle Market Banking. Baldinelli will report to Joe Abruzzo, Head of Commercial Banking for Santander Bank.

Baldinelli will lead business development, market growth and relationship management for Commercial Banking’s middle market segment in New England, encompassing the company’s Boston-based location. The industry veteran will assume the role from Robert Cerminaro, who was recently promoted to Head of Mid-Corporate Banking in Santander’s Commercial Banking division.

MidCap Business Credit announced today they have closed on an $8,000,000 asset-based credit facility for a manufacturer of precision components and assemblies in the aerospace and defense industry. The opportunity was sourced out of MidCap’s office located in West Hartford, CT. 

The introduction of the novel coronavirus pandemic into the global economy starting in late 2019 created a level of disruption not seen perhaps since the world’s last major conflicts.  As we move through what we hope to be the later stages of the pandemic, we thought it might be helpful to explore its impact on the trade credit insurance marketplace and highlight what we can anticipate in the months and year ahead.

Throughout the world, surges in cases of the virus caused a significant portion of the global economy to shut down in a manner that was/is unprecedented in recent history.  This significant curtailment of economic activity brought most of the service sector (travel and leisure, entertainment/restaurant industry) and a big segment of the manufacturing sector to either grinding halts or intermittent disruptions.  Consumer demand dropped and unemployment spiked.  As economies reopened, rebounds were relatively sharp, but left many countries still well below prior levels of economic activity and currently, a second round of lockdowns continues to beleaguer a good number of countries.

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.”

SFNet values its members’ input and feedback as it helps shape priorities and drills down to focus on what matters most. Results from SFNet’s Annual Membership Survey, completed earlier this year, were very positive, with 90% of SFNet members reporting they’d recommend SFNet to friends and colleagues and two thirds reporting SFNet’s response to the pandemic has been better than any other association to which they belong.

In fact, our association has seen our Net Promoter Score (a key measure of loyalty) steadily increase over the past three years, up 37 points since 2018 and well above trade association averages. Results also gave us ideas for areas of improvement, and SFNet is taking on several new initiatives in response to this. This article will break down the membership survey results and what the Association has planned for the remainder of 2021.

Piper Sandler & Co. acted as financial advisor to Banc of California in the transaction and delivered a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Banc of California. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP served as legal counsel to Banc of California. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., a Stifel Company, acted as financial advisor to Pacific Mercantile and delivered a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Pacific Mercantile. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP served as legal counsel to Pacific Mercantile.

Greensill Capital is a UK-based commercial finance company which filed for bankruptcy protection in early March. The company had focused on providing financing to companies using supply chain financing and other related receivables finance services. 

The bankruptcy appears to have been the result of a combination of factors: unusual underwriting practices (by Greensill, their primary financier and their credit insurer); the cancellation of their credit insurance policy; the cessation of their source of financing by their largest funder and financial intermediary;  related party transactions inclusive of financing, as well as obtaining financing from one of their investors and in turn using such funding to finance the investor’s own affiliates.

While the final outcome remains to be seen in the ongoing saga, it is clear the circumstances are not typical for a supply chain finance institution. 

The new Company Stabilisation and Restructuring Act (StaRUG for short) entered into force on January 1, 2021. It is based on a European directive on the introduction of a pre-insolvency restructuring procedure, which was adopted in June 2019.

The intention is to facilitate early restructuring of companies and in any case before insolvency occurs. The idea is to avoid the disadvantages of insolvency - a possible loss of reputation and high costs for the affected company, disruption to trade and to safeguard employment.