TSL Feature Articles

Meredith Coffey of LSTA provides readers with an update on the LIBOR transition.

1. When is LIBOR ending?

   The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) – the regulator of the ICE Benchmark Administration, the administrator of LIBOR – has said that all sterling, Swiss franc, euro and Japanese yen LIBOR settings will cease or no longer be representative after year-end 2021. The FCA also said that the settings for one-week and two-month USD LIBOR will also cease or will be non-representative after year-end 2021. The remaining USD LIBOR tenors will cease or be non-representative after June 30, 2023. Importantly, while USD LIBOR will continue to exist after the end of 2021, this is only for pre-existing “legacy” contracts. The U.S. banking regulators have said that banks should not originate new LIBOR contracts after the end of 2021.

Nneoma Maduike, member of SFNet’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness Committee interviews Anthony C. Hood, PhD, executive vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of First Horizon National Corp. Dr. Hood is responsible for cultivating and expanding First Horizon’s strategic leadership in developing and implementing programs and initiatives that advance the Company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.

The recession of 2008-2009 brought many lessons to the lending community; and the small independent finance companies were no exception. When looking back at that period, many of the lessons that we should all remember occurred in 2005-2007, during the lead up to the recession.

If you’ll recall, the economy was strong and business was booming. For small independent finance companies (that typically run counter-cyclical), new business was harder to come by and highly competitive. As is often the case, this led to aggressive structures and lower pricing, a bad combination.

While lenders and financial institutions are not looking to discover the next vaccine or medical breakthrough, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been reshaping traditional business processes at a rapid speed. Many decision makers in the C-Suites, while still responsible for ensuring everyday “blocking and tackling” is done, are dealing with how best to integrate AI/ML into their companies, and at what cost. This article takes a deeper dive into how AI and ML are being utilized in the industry along with the factors leaders must consider with AI/ML integration.

SFNet will be hosting part two of its Independent Finance Roundtable 2021 August 17 - 19, 2021 in-person at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel in Chicago, IL. For 2021, we created a unique, invitation-only experience for senior executives from SFNet member entrepreneurial finance and factoring companies. IFR 2021 is a two-part event. The first part on April 27 was a free, live online roundtable discussion and an overview of our August in-person agenda. Panelists and attendees will come together next week to discuss the state of M&A, legal issues impacting our industry, and other timely topics that may affect your business.

In addition to the roundtable meetings and discussions, IFR will offer optional activities to take full advantage of your time in Chicago.

SFNet’s 2021 4th annual YoPro Leadership Summit will be held in-person in Chicago and live online August 3-4. Young professionals of the secured finance industry will join together for opportunities to hear from industry leaders, connect with peers, and discover together how to find success in our changing industry environment.

After a more than a year of countless Zooms and Teams meetings, this year’s event will offer attendees opportunities to socialize in unique ways.  On August 3, there will be an opportunity to attend an optional golf outing at Medinah Country Club, followed by a kick-off party in the evening. 

Afterwards, attendees can stick around for a kick-off party from 7:00-10:00 p.m. CDT at Flight Club, offering drinks and friendly darts competition. A full day of live online content will take place on August 4.

"The YoPro Leadership Summit is a wonderful event that brings together the best and brightest of the YoPro community throughout the country," said William Bence, managing director, Wingspire Capital. "It's a great opportunity to network among the future and emerging leaders in the industry."