ELFA Equipment Leasing & Finance - May/June 2012 : Page 4

N EWS ELFA’s Captive Best Practices Roundtable will be held Sept. 26 in Washington, D.C. For details, please contact Alexa Carnibella at acarnibella@elfaonline.org Save the Date accounting Boards Hit impasse, ELFa presses for Workable solution sutton addresses arizona association ELFA prEsidENT ANd CEo WiLLiAM G. sUTToN, CAE, spoke at a meeting of the Arizona Equipment Leasing Association in February in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sutton discussed the state of the equipment leasing and fi nance industry and the out-look for 2012, and shared his perspective on the Washing-ton regulatory and political landscape. Pictured with Sutton (far left ) are Jim Jenks and Maggie Heydt of Global Financial & Remarketing Services. A NEW ExposUrE drAFT on lease accounting was ex-pected from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in March or April. However, the lease ac-counting project hit an impasse in late February when the two boards were not able to reach agreement on the issue of accelerated lease cost in the P&L. Th e time frame for the exposure draft has been moved to summer or later. In the meantime, ELFA continues to push for a workable lease standard. Watch for updates on the ELFA website at www.elfaonline.org/Issues/Accounting/ . petta Honored for 25 Years of service AT ThE ELFA ALL-TEAM Spring Program Status Update meet-ing in April, ELFA President and CEO William G. Sutton, CAE, recognized Chief Operating Offi cer Ralph Petta (pic-tured at left ) for his 25 years of service to the association. Petta joined the association staff in April 1987 and has served as Director of State Government Aff airs, Vice President of Research and Industry Services and Interim President. He also served as chief staff person for the association’s Founda-tion for several years. In his current role, he is responsible for day-to-day ELFA operations and staff coordination of pro-grams and services designed to add value to the association’s member organizations. ELFa Data in the spotlight ThE ELFA MoNThLY LEAsiNG ANd FiNANCE iNdEx continues to receive high-profi le media coverage. Th e index was featured on the CNBC television program “Squawk Box” on Feb. 2 and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 28. 4 MAY/JUNE 2012 EquipmEnt LEasing & FinancE magazinE

ELFA News

ELFA NEWS Sutton Addresses Arizona Association ELFA PRESIDENT AND CEO WILLIAM G. SUTTON, CAE, spoke at a meeting of the Arizona Equipment Leasing Association in February in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sutton discussed the state of the equipment leasing and finance industry and the outlook for 2012, and shared his perspective on the Washington regulatory and political landscape. ELFA Data in the Spotlight THE ELFA MONTHLY LEASING AND FINANCE INDEX continues to receive high-profile media coverage. The index was featured on the CNBC television program “Squawk Box” on Feb. 2 and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 28. Accounting Boards Hit Impasse, ELFA Presses for Workable Solution A NEW EXPOSURE DRAFT on lease accounting was expected from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in March or April. However, the lease accounting project hit an impasse in late February when the two boards were not able to reach agreement on the issue of accelerated lease cost in the P&L. The time frame for the exposure draft has been moved to summer or later. In the meantime, ELFA continues to push for a workable lease standard. Watch for updates on the ELFA website at www.elfaonline.org/Issues/Accounting/. Petta Honored for 25 Years of Service AT THE ELFA ALL-TEAM Spring Program Status Update meeting in April, ELFA President and CEO William G. Sutton, CAE, recognized Chief Operating Officer Ralph Petta (pictured at left) for his 25 years of service to the association. Petta joined the association staff in April 1987 and has served as Director of State Government Affairs, Vice President of Research and Industry Services and Interim President. He also served as chief staff person for the association’s Foundation for several years. In his current role, he is responsible for day-to-day ELFA operations and staff coordination of programs and services designed to add value to the association’s member organizations. Calling All Small and Regional Banks THE ELFA MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE has launched a campaign to recruit small and regional banks for membership in the association. The campaign is reaching out to banks with less than $1 billion in assets that are looking for ways to put their capital to work and diversify their portfolios. If you have contacts at banks fitting this profile that you would recommend for membership, please contact Director of Membership Kesha Robinson at 202-238-3432 or krobinson@elfaonline.org. To learn more and watch ELFA President and CEO Woody Sutton’s video invitation to community banks, visit www.elfaonline.org/QL/SRB/. Health Care Finance Summit Helps Members Prepare for the Future HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND DELIVERY are going to change in a big way, and equipment leasing and finance companies operating in this growing sector are going to have to rethink who their customers are and what their equipment needs are going to be. This idea came through loud and clear during the ELFA Health Care Finance Summit in March in Arlington, Va. Health care providers are moving toward more efficient delivery of care, which includes metrics for quality, cost and accountability. Change is going to take place at all levels of the health care spectrum, which will have significant implications for companies that provide equipment and software financing to this market. The handouts from this meeting are available through the ELFA Conference Resource Center at www.elfaonline.org/Events/?fa=crc. Independent Equipment Finance Summit Meets KEY EXECUTIVES from independent finance companies met in Chicago in April to share ideas about key issues of concern to them. Like all ELFA roundtables, the program was designed to be highly interactive to enable a free flow of ideas. Facilitated by former ELFA Chairman Joe Lane, some of the issues discussed included: * How independents grow assets, * Best practices for hiring and compensation, * Raising capital/funding the business, * Profitability in an extended low-interest environment, * Measurements in risk-adjusted pricing and * The impact of lease accounting changes on independents. Investors Conference Draws 25% Increase in Attendance MORE THAN 350 FINANCE PROFESSIONALS gathered in New York City in March for the ELFA/IMN Investors Conference, a 25% increase in attendance over 2011. The event drew a wide range of attendees, including equipment leasing and finance professionals, investors and providers of private capital, rating agencies, investment bankers, lawyers and analysts. Attendees exchanged insights into the significant developments behind the commercial finance markets and shared updates on the capital markets and funding/capitalization trends for 2012. They also heard the latest trends regarding the continued strengthening of the $628 billion equipment finance marketplace as an investment opportunity as companies look to deploy capital. ELFA Chairman Crit DeMent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LEAF Commercial Capital, attributed the increase in attendance to the strengthening economy. “The ABS market is starting to rebound for the equipment finance sector,” he said. “Other sectors are still lagging, but there is a revitalized interest in the equipment sector. Almost $8 billion in leasing assets were securitized last year, and investors are more and more interested in our asset class and the kinds of yields and performance that we can provide.” Roundtable a Valuable Forum for Bank Leasing Executives MORE THAN TWO DOZEN EXECUTIVES from ELFA-member bank leasing companies gathered in Chicago in April for the 3rd Annual Bank Best Practices Roundtable, sponsored by Paynet, Inc. Like other roundtables that ELFA conducts, this program is designed to be highly interactive, enabling a free flow of ideas among the participants. Facilitated by former ELFA Chairman Jim Renner, the roundtable focused on the following critical issues: * What signifies a successful relationship between the parent bank and the leasing company today? What is each looking for from the other? * What are customers looking for from their banking partner? * How are bank lessors positioned for new product development? What are their competitive advantages and disadvantages? * How do the regulatory and pending accounting changes impact the way banks do business? ELFA Website Honors Present and Past ELFA MEMBERS have responded positively to the new and improved ELFA website at www.elfaonline.org. “WOW! Fantastic job. Very functional and looks marvelous!” emailed one member. The newest feature on the site is the ELFA History page at www.elfaonline.org/about/history/, which highlights former association leaders, key milestones and other materials honoring the association’s past. Another new feature, the Manufacturer and Vendor Resource Center at www.elfaonline.org/resources/MVRC/, is designed to inform equipment manufacturers about their options for providing financing to their customers. The entire site features reorganized content so you can quickly find the information you need, improved navigation to help you get around the site with ease, enhanced information about the issues that affect your business and members-only resources. New Workshop Goes Beyond the Basics BEYOND THE BASICS is ELFA’s newest in-house workshop for more experienced industry professionals. This one-day workshop takes attendees beyond their basic knowledge of the industry and immerses them in an intensive, real-world case study. If you have at least three years of experience in the commercial, industrial, equipment leasing and/or finance industry and want to sharpen your skills, this workshop is for you! Learn more at www.elfaonline.org/Events/ELFW/. We Bring the Training to You HOSTING A WORKSHOP AT YOUR OWN FACILITY gives you the flexibility and convenience to address specific learning needs of your employees, establish collective knowledge and a shared skill-set and achieve even your most challenging business goals. Both the Principles of Equipment Leasing and Finance and Beyond the Basics can be delivered on-site and tailored to your organization’s needs. If you would like to schedule in-house training, please contact Janet Fianko at jfianko@elfaonline.org. Discount for Online Leasing and Finance Course Still Available MEMBERS CONTINUE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE of the 50% discount on the Fundamentals of Equipment Leasing and Finance online course. Members pay only $175 for the course, which normally costs $350. To get the discount, go to www.elfaonline.org/events /elearning/courses/?fa=FELF, log in to the course catalog and register for the course. Enter promotional code ELFAPROMO11 at checkout to receive the discount. Questions? Contact Alexa Carnibella at acarnibella@elfaonline.org. Share Your Company’s News AS A BENEFIT OF ELFA MEMBERSHIP, you are invited to submit your press releases to the association using the online form at www.elfaonline.org/News/Add/. Your news—including personnel announcements, mergers and acquisitions, new and joint ventures, earnings news and other items of interest—will be considered for publishing on the ELFA website, in the SmartBrief e-newsletter, on the LinkedIn group website and through the ELFA RSS feed. Questions? Contact Amy Vogt at avogt@elfaonline.org. Principles Workshop Off to a Strong Start THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF LEASING AND FINANCE WORKSHOP OF 2012 was held at ELFA headquarters in March. Attendees learned about the benefits of leasing, the types of lease and finance transactions and fraud detection and prevention, and received an overview of lease accounting. ELFA wishes to thank Bob Golden for his continued support of the workshop and for his excellent teaching skills! The next workshop will take place in Chicago, May 21–23. Additional workshops are scheduled in July in Washington, D.C., and in October in Los Angeles. For more information and to register, go to www.elfaonline.org/Events/ELFW/?fa=POL.

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