Anthony Cracchiolo

The optimism of the first quarter (Q1) of 2011 seems to have slowed, according to the results of the US Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation (ELFF)’s report on the state of the market.

ELFF’s May Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) puts confidence in the market at 63.2, down from the April figure of 70.3.

The purchase of Wilmington Trust (WT) by M&T Bank has created a national leader in wealth management and a premier global provider of financial services to clients.

Although Wilmington Trust is now a subsidiary of M&T, the WT Wealth Advisory Services and Corporate Client Services business will continue to operate under the WT brand until the completion of a systems conversion, which is expected to occur in the third quarter.

As lenders globally stand accused of contributing to the current economic recession Asset Finance International is very pleased to report a significant effort by Key Equipment Finance (KEF) staff to “put something back into the community”.

On May 24 around 200 KEF employees took part in KeyCorp’s 21st Neighbor’s Make the Difference Day (Neighbors Day) - an annual day of volunteer community service in the US.

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is holding its Credit and Collections Management Conference & Exhibition at Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, PA, from June 5 to June 7 2011.

As the West’s asset finance industry continues to “pick up the arrears tab” as fallout from the recent economic recession, now is the time for lenders to re-examine their collections procedures and study best practice from their peers.