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Every headline seems to have an AI angle, but what does that mean for middle market borrowers who aren't building data centers? In this episode of the ABF Journal / Monitor Podcast, Rita Garwood, editor in chief of ABF Journal and monitordaily.com, talks with Mike Semanco, president and COO of Business Finance at Mitsubishi HC Capital America. Semanco explains why an asset-based lender still starts with collateral, how the Great Recession and the rush into electric vehicles shaped his credit thinking, and why he believes companies that use AI as a tool are better positioned than those that pivot entirely. In this conversation: • Where capital is flowing and how much is tied to AI and data centers • Why collateral comes first and cash flow second in ABL underwriting • The metrics that matter most now, from free cash flow to EBITDA add-backs • How Mitsubishi HC Capital kept lending to manufacturers during the Great Recession • Warning signs in the EV pivot and why the lender passed on some deals • Where the AI cycle echoes the EV story, and where it doesn't • What borrowers without an AI story should do now

Solifi has made its third acquisition in 14 months, acquiring Inovatec and adding retail automotive and power sports loan origination technology to its secured finance platform. In this episode, Monitor Editor-in-Chief Rita Garwood sits down with Solifi CEO Dan Corazzi and Inovatec co-founder Vladimir Kovacevic to talk about why the deal made sense, how the companies plan to integrate their technology and teams, and what's next for customers on both sides. Topics covered in this episode: — The product and geography gap that made Inovatec the right acquisition target — How Solifi's private equity partner, TA, shaped the deal — The plan for integrating Inovatec's Propel platform with Solifi's existing tools — What changes — and what doesn't — for customers on both sides — The future of Inovatec's Vancouver and Serbia offices — Where AI creates new opportunities across the combined platform — What success looks like 12 months from now

Access to capital in fleet lending is no longer decided by asset values, revenue growth or market share alone. On this episode of the Monitor podcast, Kirk Browning, division president of vehicle fleet financing at 1st Source Bank, joins editor in chief Rita Garwood to explain why financial transparency has become a competitive advantage for fleet operators — and what it takes to get there. In this episode, Kirk discusses: Why financial reporting quality can outweigh size or growth rate in winning better lending terms How the FASB's ASC 842 standard reshaped underwriting for fleet-heavy businesses The real difference between a compilation, a review and an audit — and what each one signals to lenders When a growing fleet operator should move up to the next level of financial reporting Why Kirk encourages operators to treat financial reporting as a business asset, not just a compliance requirement

Why does one broker always seem to get the exception, while another can't catch a break? According to Jim Noel, VP of Partner Originations at Brightcap Financial, it comes down to trust — and trust is built long before the exception request ever comes in. In this episode, Monitor Editor-in-Chief Rita Garwood talks with Noel about where friction actually creeps into the deal process, why speed of service so often decides who wins a deal, and how AI is changing everything from application intake to fraud prevention. They discuss: Where friction really comes from on both the broker and funder side Why the fastest brokers and funders tend to win the deal How to communicate with brokers the way they actually want to be reached What AI is already doing for underwriting, fraud prevention, and training What separates a real partnership from a purely transactional relationship Brightcap's long-term vision for funding a deal in fifteen minutes

“Rip and replace” isn’t the only path to modernization — and for many equipment finance organizations, it isn’t even the right one.In this episode, Monitor Editor-in-Chief Rita Garwood talks with Campbell Clout, Managing Director, GTM, North America and APMEA at Odessa, about what real modernization looks like when you skip the all-or-nothing approach.They discuss:• Why vendors are now expected to bring a playbook instead of a blank slate• The real cost, risk, and ROI benefits of an MVP-first approach• How one client scaled a device-as-a-service business from a single market to 32 countries in two years• The honest trade-offs between big-bang and phased implementations• Where AI is delivering real, immediate value today — and where it's still mostly hype

Most people buy jets backward. They fall in love with an aircraft first, then spend years trying to justify the purchase. In this episode of the Monitor podcast, host Rita Garwood sits down with Chris Lee, President of the Aircraft and Specialty Finance Deposit Divisions at 1st Source Bank, to talk about how to flip that order — starting with the mission, not the machine.Chris has been a pilot, an aircraft salesman, a financier, and an owner, so he's seen this decision from every seat at the table. In this conversation, he breaks down the mission-first framework from his article "How Not to Buy a Jet," walks through the Warren Buffett story that inspired it — including why Buffett once called his own plane "The Indefensible" before renaming it "The Indispensable" — and explains when charter, fractional ownership, or renting might actually be the smarter move.In this episode:• Chris's path through nearly every corner of the aviation industry• The mission-first framework for aircraft acquisition• The Warren Buffett story, and the risk of misreading it• How to put a real dollar value on your own time• When NOT to buy a jet — charter, fractional, and rental alternatives• How mission clarity changes the financing conversation• Chris's one question every prospective buyer should ask before they start shopping

What does building autonomous vehicles at Cruise and dispatch systems at Uber have to do with underwriting a $50,000 equipment finance deal? More than you'd think. In this episode, Monitor Editor-in-Chief Rita Garwood talks with Utsav, Founder and CEO of Kaaj, about why the economics of underwriting small and mid-ticket deals have been broken for years, where the hours actually go between an application landing and a credit decision, and how AI can take over the repetitive "science" of a deal so underwriters can focus on the art — relationship-building, deal structuring, and judgment. They discuss:• What building AI systems at massive scale taught Utsav about deploying technology where mistakes have real consequences• The gap between shortening turnaround time and rushing credit judgment• How to tell a genuinely scalable AI system apart from an impressive demo• What data lenders should insist on owning when working with AI vendors• The smallest credible AI pilot a lender can run — and how to measure if it worked• What a high-performing credit operation looks like three to five years from now

Only 6 of the top Monitor 100 CEOs are women — even though 81% of women profiled in Monitor's Women's Issue say they aspire to senior executive or C-suite roles. That gap is exactly why LeadHER exists. In this episode, Monitor Editor-in-Chief Rita Garwood sits down with Lisa Rafter, Publisher of Monitor, and Lori Frasier, Architect and Co-Lead of LeadHER, to talk about the inaugural LeadHER Women's Summit — what inspired it, the "masks off" moment that became its defining symbol, and why the two of them are building LeadHER into an ongoing community rather than a one-time event. They discuss: • The industry statistic that sparked LeadHER• What happens when women stop performing a role and start showing up as themselves• The real gap holding women back — it isn't the pipeline, it's sponsorship• The leadership myth Lori believes needs to be retired• Mentor Circles, vulnerability-based trust, and why community outlasts inspiration• The upcoming LeadHER Learning Series and how to get involved LeadHER Learning Series: Beyond Balance — Building Sustainable Success at Work and Beyond September 10, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. EST. Register at monitordaily.com/events/leadher-learning-series/

If AI is making it cheap and easy to build technology, what actually separates one lender — or one vendor — from the next? In this episode, Patricio Pazmiño, Chief Product Officer at Kin Analytics, breaks down why proprietary data, embedded expertise, and industry relationships are becoming the real moats in equipment finance, and why the tech stack itself no longer is.  We cover:  • Why AI is more of an opportunity than a threat for product teams • What's actually defensible when a competitor can buy the same tech stack tomorrow • Why the "easy" automation race misses the decisions that matter most • Real examples of identical tools producing very different outcomes • What lender leadership teams should protect and invest in over the next 3-5 years  Patricio Pazmiño is Chief Product Officer at Kin Analytics, which has spent a decade building technology and credit scoring models purpose-built for the equipment finance industry. Subscribe for more conversations on lending technology, AI, and credit decisioning.

What keeps talented professionals from speaking up? During the inaugural LeadHER Women’s Summit, Nancy Robles and Lisa Fleischer led an engaging breakout sessions: Speaking Up When the Stakes Are High. In this conversation with Monitor Editor in Chief Rita Garwood, they discuss: • Building confidence early in your career• Finding your voice in challenging situations• Why authentic leadership matters• The importance of allies and mentors• Creating workplaces where everyone feels heard• Speaking up with confidence—even when the stakes are high Whether you’re an emerging leader, an experienced executive or someone looking to build a stronger workplace culture, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on leadership, communication and professional growth.

Numbers in a ledger only tell half the story. In this episode, Rita Garwood sits down with Brendan Cronin of Great American Insurance to dive deep into the world of "fuzzy data"—the emails, notes, and transcripts that hold the "why" behind your business outcomes. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why unpredictable, unstructured data is actually a goldmine for insight • How AI is changing the work on your desk without changing the org chart • Why liberal arts backgrounds and "winding paths" make for the best digital transformation leaders • How to move from a "shiny object" pilot project to institutionalized success.

As of April 1, 2026, the "informal pause" on anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement in Canada has officially ended. Financing and leasing companies are now subject to full assessments and audits by FINTRAC.In this episode, Rita Garwood sits down with Marcel Buerkler from the CFLA to discuss the regulatory shift that is catching many businesses off guard.In this video, we cover:• Why the financing and leasing sector was targeted for these new regulations.• The three distinct scenarios—from B2B property to high-value consumer goods—that now trigger AML obligations.• What a "full examination" from FINTRAC looks like.• Common red flags, including incomplete KYC data and non-tailored risk assessments.• The staggering cost of non-compliance, with penalties reaching up to $20 million per violation.

In this episode, Rita Garwood sits down with Joe Andries of GreatAmerica Portfolio Services Group to discuss the rapid acceleration of third-party servicing in the equipment finance sector. Joe breaks down the post-pandemic variables driving companies toward outsourcing, including business continuity, talent retention, and the need for scalable technology.Key topics include:• The evolution of "Outsourced Servicing" in today's market.• Lessons learned from the pandemic regarding fixed costs and operational flexibility.• Solving the talent and recruiting crisis through strategic partnerships.• Common misconceptions about losing customer control.• The future of digital transformation in portfolio management.

What does “consumerization” actually mean for B2B finance? Spoiler: it’s not about dumbing things down. It’s about making complexity invisible.In this episode, Monitor Editor in Chief Rita Garwood sits down with Ryan Ragland, VP of Enterprise Solutions at Valiant Finance, to unpack how modern buyer expectations are forcing the industry to change, and why that’s a good thing. From embedded finance to the real role of AI, this episode is packed with insights, real talk and forward-thinking advice for lenders, OEMs, and tech vendors alike.Topics Covered:• Why B2B buyers expect consumer-like speed• How to remove friction without losing control• The myth of AI replacing humans• How fintechs get it right—and what legacy players can learn• What embedded finance really meansDon’t forget to like and subscribe so you never miss an episode!

What does “consumerization” actually mean for B2B finance? Spoiler: it’s not about dumbing things down. It’s about making complexity invisible. In this episode, Monitor Editor in Chief Rita Garwood sits down with Ryan Ragland, VP of Enterprise Solutions at Valiant Finance, to unpack how modern buyer expectations are forcing the industry to change, and why that’s a good thing. From embedded finance to the real role of AI, this episode is packed with insights, real talk and forward-thinking advice for lenders, OEMs, and tech vendors alike. Topics Covered: Why B2B buyers expect consumer-like speedHow to remove friction without losing controlThe myth of AI replacing humans How fintechs get it right—and what legacy players can learnWhat embedded finance really means