Courtney Jeans is executive managing director and head of Regions Business Capital. Jeans joined Regions Business Capital in January 2022. With nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, his career has focused on lending activities within the middle-market and large corporate sectors in both banking and specialty finance, where he has held positions in business development, portfolio management and risk management.

Jeans earned a BS and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin with a concentration in finance and marketing. Here, he discusses his first two years as head of Regions Business Capital, his goals for 2024 and his leadership style.

Please tell us a bit about your career trajectory.
I started my career in banking in 1994 as an officer development program trainee with Texas Commerce Bank in Dallas. Texas Commerce became JPMorgan Chase after several mergers over the next decade. My initial assignment was to lead the officer development program in my region, and shortly thereafter, I became a commercial banker focused on providing a complete suite of banking products to clients and prospects with revenues up to $500 million.

I began working in the asset-based lending industry in 2000, when I started as an underwriter and portfolio manager for middle market, large corporate and investment banking clients across the South, Southeast and West. During these roles, I focused on a concentration in retail and oil field services clients, where we financed working capital, acquisitions, organic growth, management buyouts and private equity transactions. We also completed pre-and-post-bankruptcy workouts, restructurings, and corporate liquidations.

In 2010, I transitioned into originations, where I provided sales coverage for 13 markets across the Southwest and Southeast over a period of eight years. In 2018, I was appointed as head of ABL in the Southwest region, which is the role that preceded my current position as head of Regions Business Capital.

You took the lead at Regions Business Capital last year. What have the last two years been like for you? Any surprises?
The last two years have been some of the most rewarding and exciting times in my career! We have so much opportunity in front of us, so we are focusing our efforts on the initiatives that will best help us build a stronger foundation for additional growth. This can be difficult when you are operating in an economic environment characterized by inflation, rising interest rates, and post-COVID recoveries. But, our experience positions us to serve clients through economic cycles. And an uncertain operating environment typically helps ABL lenders because our structures are more patient in comparison to traditional financing alternatives. In this ABL environment, it can be tempting to pursue short-term wins, but we are prudent risk managers, and we keep our eyes not just on short-term opportunities but, importantly, on what’s best for the client over the long term. That’s where real value is created. At Regions, we are part of a very supportive company that sees the value of our franchise, is willing to invest in our future and provides the stability for long-term success. That environment is important for continued career growth and development. 

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