Archive for 2021
New York DFS Provides New Guidance on Disclosure Law, 6 Month Delay
October 20, 2021
New York’s Department of Financial Services has provided updated guidance on the impending commercial finance disclosure law scheduled to go into effect on January 1st.
The main news? A six month delay.
“Financiers and brokers shall comply with disclosure requirements six months after the effective date,” the proposals state.
The comment period has also been corrected/extended to December 19, 2021. Comments are to be directed to George Bogdan at DFS.
The regulation’s draft has been amended as well and can be VIEWED HERE.
SBA Task Force Set to Begin Campaign
October 19, 2021
In response to an unprecedented economic situation, a mixed group of regulators, bankers, small business owners, funders, attorneys, and social media representatives are coming together in a task force to work with the SBA, members of Congress, small businesses and entrepreneurs to transition small business into a “new phase.”
Dubbed the SBA Task Force at last week’s Bipartisan Committee summit on small business recovery, the group’s goals are to address the state of small business in the U.S., how the current economical and political climate is impacting the practices of merchants across the country, and to address concerns from interested parties directly to the federal government.
“The SBA is at a crucial moment: its laudable performance during the COVID crisis has thrust upon the agency new expectations and new responsibilities,” said Pradeep Belur, former COO of the SBA and co-chair of the committee. “To fulfill those, [the] SBA needs not only enhanced capacity but also modernization to enable it to execute effectively. I’m honored to help chair this task force and pursue measures that will support the agency and help the heart of America’s economy.”
Alongside Belur as co-chair of the committee is Ann Marie Mehlum, a Senior Advisor at FS Vector with almost four decades of experience in banking. Much like Belur, Mehlum is committed to continue the largely unfinished project of improving the operating conditions for small businesses.
“The work of assisting small businesses is never finished—the SBA has continually sought to respond to new needs and reach more types of small companies,” Mehlum said. “The members of this task force, which I’m delighted to help chair, are committed to working with the agency and Congress to improve the ways in which that work is carried out.”
The founder of the committee, Angela McIver, is the owner of an after-school math program for children based in Philadelphia. When faced with pandemic related troubles, McIver pivoted her business from a brick and mortar learning program into a fully virtual, nation-wide learning platform.
“One of the smartest things I did was develop a relationship with a community bank” said McIver, when asked what advice she would give to small businesses at the BPC’s summit. “We didn’t have a lot of the challenges that small businesses had because we had a relationship with a small bank that knew who we were, knew our challenges, and [they] were able to step in when it was necessary.”
Other members of note on the force are Christopher R. Upperman, a Manager & Team Lead in the Governance Organization at Facebook, Jessica Johnson-Cope, President, Johnson Security Bureau and co-chair of the 10,000 Small Businesses Voices National Leadership Council, and Ryan Metcalf, Head of U.S. Public Policy and Global Social Impact at Funding Circle.
“Our participation in the BPC’s task force reflects our ongoing commitment to advocate for government policies that are in the best interest of small business owners” said Metcalf, exclusively to deBanked. “We truly believe that the strongest path forward for the SBA involves leveraging the proven capabilities of fintechs to quickly and efficiently reach typically underserved communities through a modernized approach to government-backed small business lending.”
Metcalf and his company seemed to be excited to take part in the committee, having a direct impact on the space in which their business operates. “On behalf of Funding Circle, I look forward to working with stakeholders across the lending landscape to support an effective bipartisan SBA reauthorization that best prepares the agency to help small business owners,” he said.
Members of the committee are confident that the group will help modernize the practices of the SBA while also empowering them. “The government agency dedicated to supporting [small businesses] must do the same and adapt its systems and programs to support that evolution,” said BPC Board Member and former Senator and Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Olympia Snowe. “I’m confident that this task force will successfully develop ideas and recommendations to enable the SBA to do that.”
Old Hill Partners Upsizes Funding Commitment to ByzFunder up to $40 million
October 19, 2021
New York, October 19, 2021: ByzFunder, the leading non-bank Fintech company, announced a significant upsizing of existing financing from strategic partner Old Hill Partners of up to $40 million. This financing round comes as a substantial increase from Old Hill Partners’ first facility of $12 million in 2020.
In September, ByzFunder closed its record financial performance exceeding $12 million in originations. The finance upsizing from Old Hill enhances ByzFunder’s position as an emerging leader in the business alternative financing space. It provides the assistance needed to advance near-term and long-term priorities in preparation for an anticipated period of significant innovation, growth, and expansion into additional credit tiers.
Ilya Fridman, CEO expressed enthusiasm and confidence about the path ahead; “We have a very exciting journey ahead of us. Our people continue to rally together and outperform with an absolute commitment to excellence, and our platform continues to grow stronger, more advanced, and more capable. With Old Hill, the exceptional team of investors, and upsizing of financial resources that their partnership brings, we can accelerate ByzFunder’s already impressive growth trajectory, expanding our balance sheet to fully service business owners.”
Old Hill Partners Inc. is an alternative asset manager focused on asset-based lending transactions with borrowers seeking $10 to $50 million in financing. The firm structures senior secured debt in the form of term, drawdown, and revolving-to-term facilities of up to four years and loan-to-value ratios in the range of 35% to 85%. Collateral types include pools of loans or leases (specialty finance), receivables, inventory, machinery, and equipment.
“We have been impressed by the quality of ByzFunder’s originations, performance to date, exceptional leadership, disruptive business model, innovative technology, and the overall quality of their operations. We believe the company is well-positioned for further growth, and we are pleased to be part of it,” said Peter Faigl, Senior Portfolio Manager at Old Hill.
About ByzFunder
ByzFunder NY LLC is a leading non-bank financing company that has successfully provided small to medium-sized businesses with fast and convenient financing alternatives since 2018. ByzFunder combines technology and non-traditional credit algorithms to offer attractive pricing and exceptional customer service to a market not captured by traditional banks.
Pandemic-Induced Pivot Results in Innovative Lending Software
October 15, 2021
“What the hell are we going to do now?”
Kunal Bhasin, CEO of 1West, saw the light at the end of the tunnel for his business in March of 2020. Instead of closing his doors and pursuing other options in finance, Bhasin held strong and began developing a product that was merely an idea prior to his business’s abrupt halt.
“I made the decision at that point when everyone was running, I hired two full time engineers. I said hey, I’ve had this idea for a long time, the whole company has had this idea for a long time, we just never had the time to implement, and then all we had is time because we [weren’t] closing that many deals.”
The idea, a software called ABLE (Automated Business Lending Engine) is a platform that minimizes the lapsed time that occurs in the funding process. “There were deals all over the place in different people’s inboxes. And then those people would have to put those deals into our processors, which created huge gaps of time,” said Bhasin.
“We needed to centralize the deal flow. Whether the deal is coming from a partner, or the deal is coming from a customer, [we needed] a centralized place where a customer could land and start completing the process.”
With the help of his former college roommate, engineers, and staff, Bhasin put his idea to fruition— and ABLE took off. “We rolled up our sleeves and spent the better part of the last 16 months building it, and now the largest percentage of my time devoted to running 1West is on the software and the platform.”
Bhasin claims that his product gives his company a huge competitive advantage, as he is able to use AI to evaluate, process, and determine the type of funding and through which lender is best on an individual basis.
“[ABLE] really shrinks that entire gap time so when the lenders get in early morning, when the funders get in early morning, our stuff is always in queue, and it’s created really nice returns on the amount of customers we’re getting and the amount of deals we’re funding.”
The automation of the application process has allowed potential borrowers to not only find the ideal package for their needs, but allows them to apply for different types of capital streams, something that would take tons of manpower and time without the ABLE software.
“Greater than 90% of the customers who come into ABLE apply for more than one product,” said Bhasin.
When asked about if there were any plans to license the product in the future, Bhasin was hesitant to give a definite answer for the future of his creation. ABLE is already white labeled by 1West for brokers.
“Maybe,” he said, I want 1West to reap the benefits of it for 6-12 months and fix all the tweaks we have to make. We have a lot going on.”
Fintech Helps Small Businesses More Than Banks, says US Rep
October 14, 2021
At the Bipartisan Policy Center’s summit on small business recovery on Thursday, Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) of the US House of representatives credited fintech for helping small businesses survive pandemic-influenced hardships. “I was very struck recently, if you look at the PPP program, some of the most effective providers were fintech. There is some evidence that says fintech providers were more effective than banks” said Foster.
Fintech beat the banks not only in the allocation and distribution of PPP money, but providing unprecedented help to small businesses owned by individuals from underserved communities, according to Foster. “I think that is something that we have to make sure that [the government] is doing everything we can to support the use of technology by small businesses.”
With quick access to capital, innovative ways to pull data and store information, flexible lending and repayment options, and a mass array of competition, non-bank finance alongside fintech allowed small businesses across America the chance to survive when the odds were stacked against them. Traditional banks, tied up by regulations and bureaucratic processes, would have never been able to provide the capital needed to the countless businesses who relied on PPP loans to stay alive.
Foster has used fintech’s performance as a way to make his case for the necessity of the industry’s role in the everyday life of all Americans. “We’re trying to do a better job in getting a secure digital ID in the hands of all Americans” he said. “Providing a guarantee for all Americans, regardless of what their financial situation is, that they will have access to at least a basic internet connection, basic broadband connection, and a low end [mobile] device.”
Foster spoke about his plan to bundle these ideas with a mindset of fraud prevention, using fintech to provide a digital suite of government issued documents in an effort to counter identity theft. With this, according to Foster, fintech can provide a system in which an individual can prove who they are online, subsequently preventing fraud.
“Small businesses are one of the real victims of identity fraud,” he said. Arizona, Louisiana, and Oklahoma have taken the lead in incorporating fintech into their efforts of fighting small business identity fraud in their states, Foster claimed. He also touched on fintech’s role in the collaboration of digital medical records between healthcare companies and individual practices to enhance the innovation of healthcare processes.
With the government acknowledging fintech’s future nationwide impact on a bipartisan level, the integration of this technology in small businesses and consumers alike at an unprecedented level is just a matter of time.
North Mill Equipment Finance Hit All-Time Quarterly Loan/Lease Originations Record
October 14, 2021
North Mill Equipment Finance just had its best quarter in 60 years. The company originated $129.1M in Q3. That was up from the record set the previous quarter of $120M.
Contributing to the company’s growth rate is the recent joint acquisition of 100% of the stock of parent company Aztec Financial, LLC.
“This has been an exceptional year,” said David C. Lee, Chairman and CEO, North Mill. “In addition to introducing a new category of equipment through the acquisition of Aztec, we recently purchased a $50.3 million portfolio of seasoned truck and trailer leases to help diversify our portfolio even further.”
The company is on pace to surpass $400M in originations in 2021.
Elevate Announces New Financing Facility for Non-Prime Credit Product
October 13, 2021
Elevate Credit, Inc., a top provider for credit solutions marketed for non-prime individuals, announced Wednesday a $50 million financing facility, which may increase to $100 million, according to a company press release. The funding is to grow the Today Card, a credit card designed to expand access to credit while promoting intelligent credit decisions for people with less than perfect credit scores.
Financing for the Today Card will come from Park Cities, an asset management and alternative investment company that provides flexible debt solutions to its customers. The partnership will help reduce the amount of capital required by Elevate for the project.
“The Today Card has seen outsized demand and has been the fastest growing brand over the last 12 months,” said Elevate CEO, Jason Harvison. “To continue that growth, we have announced a new lower cost credit facility. Park Cities has demonstrated a deep understanding of our space. I am pleased to both diversify our financing and promote our platform’s ability to serve non-prime consumers at even lower APRs.”
Backed by Mastercard, Today Card offers all the benefits of a regular credit card to individuals who may not qualify for the same perks through other creditors. Family share, fraud control, and flexible payment options are all packaged into the Today Card product. These options will familiarize cardholders with these types of benefits should their credit improve in the future and they qualify for other cards with different banks.
“Elevate is changing the game for non-prime Americans. We are proud to partner with a mission driven organization and help enable their growth,” said Park Cities Managing Partner, Alex Dunev.
Elevate has originated $9.2 billion in non-prime credit to more than 2.6 million non-prime consumers to date, and has saved its customers more than $8.5 billion versus the cost of payday loans, according to the report. They already offer borrower incentives like reduced interest rates over time, free credit monitoring, and free financial training.
What Makes a Great ISO?
October 13, 2021
Working and developing relationships with ISO’s can be some of the best and most difficult parts of working in the small business finance industry. The relationships between the merchants and these individuals can make or break the success of a funder, and a great ISO can take a funder and the merchant to the next level.
Kristin Parisi, ISO Relations Manager for Park East Capital, shared with deBanked what traits, characteristics, and commonalities separate the best reps from the rest of the pack.
“I think the top thing is someone that is super attentive,” said Parisi, when asked what is the biggest factor that makes a successful ISO. “Someone [who] is available to speak at all times, after sending something in an email or they send me something, I’ll call them and they’ll pick up, someone easy to reach out to, and someone who cares about the deal.”
Kindness also plays a big factor in making a great ISO according to Parisi, who said that sometimes the attitude of certain reps can impede business and make funding deals much more difficult. “I have come across some people who can be super rude,” she said. According to her, kindness and honesty can make or break not only an individual deal between a funder and a rep, but can be the foundation for the entire relationship between the two.
“It’s like a friendship type of thing,” she said, when describing the ideal relationship between both parties. “Someone who is trustworthy, loyal, someone who won’t screw you over behind your back, who won’t send your deals somewhere, someone who won’t screw you over for money. Honesty is the main thing.”
Parisi credits her success to these developed relationships. “The ISO’s I do work with are all my friends now, and I think we have a great thing going,” she said.
She noted the challenge of dealing with ISO’s from a female perspective, setting boundaries and being assertive while also trying to be kind and develop positive relationships. “Being a woman in this industry is a little different than being a male. I’m kind of approached differently, the girls on my team are approached differently. I’m one for being really kind and honest, but [only] to a certain extent because [ISO’s] will walk all over you.”
Apart from the personality that is projected on the funders themselves, another key trait is the professionalism of the ISO themselves, according to Parisi. She spoke about the younger, money-hungry mentality that can lead to ISO’s becoming disingenuous or difficult to work with. Rather than a hustle and bustle mentality, she credits understanding the terminology and how the industry functions as a desirable trait in a potential ISO.
“You don’t need ten plus years in the industry,” said Parisi. “You need a few months in the industry, you get it, and you’re good.”
