Stonebriar Commercial Finance is celebrating its sixth anniversary this week, having closed another record year with new funded volume of $1.43 billion in structured leases and loans, and driving a 36 percent year-over-year increase in operating income. Equally as important, Stonebriar has completed its sixth consecutive year with zero credit losses.
In 2015, Stonebriar’s management team and its primary investor, Eldridge, recognized a need and opportunity to create a large ticket commercial leasing and finance company. Stonebriar was launched by a proven management team with an average of 25 years of experience in the industry, including the success of two prior de novo startups, who have grown Stonebriar’s portfolio to $3.4 billion and accomplished many other milestones along the way. As a privately owned, independent finance company, Stonebriar has the flexibility to control key strategic and business decisions that have resulted in consistently and reliably meeting the needs of its customers.
Dave B. Fate, President and CEO at Stonebriar, reflected on the company’s anniversary by stating, “This has been the most challenging and rewarding six years of my career. We started with an initial equity investment, six employees and temporary office space. Six short years later, we have a profitable, well performing, diversified portfolio; 48 employees; eight asset-backed securitizations totaling $4.5 billion with over 70 institutional investors comprised of the world’s largest asset managers, pension funds and insurance companies; and a Monitor 100 ranking as the largest independent commercial finance company. Stonebriar’s success is driven by the contributions of its employees, its valued client relationships, and the steadfast support of its investors and strategic partners. To each – we thank you for the past six years and are looking forward to shared success in the years to come.”
Since inception, Stonebriar has deployed $6 billion in capital to 274 clients in the U.S., Canada, and select foreign jurisdictions. Stonebriar remains well capitalized with a $1 billion revolving credit facility, $240 million aggregate in unsecured notes, and recently closed its eighth securitization, secured by its largest pool to date with an aggregate discounted contract balance exceeding $1 billion.
Fate continued, “Despite the global health pandemic, we remain focused on our disciplined approach to client and asset selection, structuring fundamentals, and portfolio management. The positive performance of the portfolio, coupled with a record-setting volume of new business during a period of worldwide market dislocation, is a testament to Stonebriar’s strength to weather inevitable storms and its commitment to provide capital to businesses when they need it most. We are excited about the strong momentum moving into 2021 and beyond.”