First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company (First Citizens Bank) announced its vendor equipment financing business will now be known as First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance to better communicate its core mission to vendors, customers and prospects.

Formerly known as CIT Business Capital, the vendor finance business became a part of First Citizens Bank in January 2022 as a result of the bank's merger with CIT Group Inc. It specializes in supporting small and mid-size businesses by providing equipment financing solutions via technology-enabled platforms and market leading structuring expertise.

"This brand transition is about much more than just clarifying our message to the market," said First Citizens Bank President Peter Bristow, who oversees the commercial banking segment. "It also signifies our renewed commitment to excellence in delivering financial solutions and services to equipment vendors and individual customers alike."

"Our advanced technology platforms, industry-leading expertise and dedicated team are unmatched when it comes to providing equipment financing with speed and certainty of execution," Bristow added.

Mike Jones, President of First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance, said he expects the new brand identity will help accelerate the growth.

"We process millions of transactions a year with outstanding speed and accuracy, setting us apart as a service leader in our sector and as a technological innovator," Jones said. "As a result of this transition, our name now finally communicates to the market exactly what we do best."

"The CIT name was long associated with excellence in equipment finance," Jones continued. "We want our industry to know that that commitment is stronger than ever. Being a part of First Citizens Bank gives us even greater financial strength and a wider range of solutions to benefit our customers."

Other First Citizens Bank equipment finance units include Equipment Financing & Leasing, led by Senior Vice President Bob Radford, and CIT Capital Equipment Finance, led by Managing Director Kevin Ronan. Collectively, three First Citizens equipment finance units offer a wide range of solutions to businesses of many different sizes operating in diverse industry segments.

While the name change is effective immediately, First Citizens Bank expects it will take several weeks to fully implement the transition as instances of the former brand are systematically updated.