Hilzinger: With regard to lender finance, we’ve been very pleased with the growth of this business since its inception in 2011. David D’Antonio who runs that unit has done a great job with his team. The lender finance unit is at a point of pre-determined evolution – we had a five year plan when we started that business and we are on track with that today. I think the lender finance business is going to benefit greatly from this commercial consolidation under Jim’s leadership. I also believe the lender finance business brings the best of asset-based lending and the best of structured finance together. We view lender finance as a growth business and we see many ways to further expand the offerings we provide today.  We are all very bullish on the lender finance platform and where it is going.

McGrane: To expand on Jeff’s comments, in general, we like asset-based lending very much, of which lender finance is  one segment within a broad set of opportunities. It fits naturally within our plan and we are looking at various ways we will expand in that segment. So, the best I can say at this time is to “stay tuned”.

ABL Advisor: EverBank Commercial Finance has become a prominent player in a relatively short period of time. What do you believe differentiates EverBank from its competitors?

McGrane: It’s fundamental blocking and tackling – making sure we are well prepared and understand our markets.  Being clear on our strategy regarding markets we want to serve is certainly important, but we must also be clear on what we do not want to do as an organization. When we make strategic choices to enter markets, we need to be sure we bring the right competencies and capabilities to the table and that manifests itself in domain. We possess deep domain and experience in each of our business lines and we place a great deal of emphasis on execution and the customer – we recognize that the customer is king. This intense focus on the client  in terms of what we deliver and how we deliver it is of utmost importance. We have a clear vision and strategy of how we are going to build, foster and retain customer relationships.

Hilzinger: We identified customer service and the customer’s experience as central to our culture going back to 2004 when we started U.S. Express Leasing and that focus and culture continues today at EverBank. Over the course of the past year we’ve been involved in a significant process renewal initiative in the equipment finance business, and our strategies have evolved significantly. At the end of the day we identified ways to improve the customer experience by revisiting our processes. We have a large team dedicated to this process renewal. I don’t think it’s coincidental that we grew so dramatically this year in a market that isn’t growing significantly – I think it’s partially due to our focus on enhancing the customer experience.

ABL Advisor: What are your views of the commercial finance market for 2014 and 2015?

McGrane: My first reaction is to stop the madness we are seeing in margin compression. I wonder how much longer we can sustain it. Despite that, I am cautiously optimistic. I don’t believe we are going to have any explosive or volatile movement in the economy, but rather a slow and arduous recovery. And, it will be interesting to see if the changes in quantitative easing will have any impact. I think there are many opportunities in each of our existing segments and the ones we are looking to enter – but we need to pick our spots carefully. I’m very excited about our future.

Hilzinger: We believe the market will remain highly competitive with many opportunities for us. It will take what Jim mentioned earlier to succeed – basic blocking and tackling. We have strong teams and we will remain focused on customer experience and execution.