Continuing a recent push to ease regulations, the Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted a final rule that loosens compliance requirements on business development companies, which invest in small and medium-size businesses. The measure, which was adopted on March 12, significantly raises the bar for a public registrant to be considered what ... READ MORE >
Financial Services
Comprising everything from private equity firms to family offices, financiers are active participants in the middle market. They provide the vital capital infusions needed to take growth companies to the next level.
As businesses contend with coronavirus, liquidity becomes a top concern
The outbreak of the coronavirus provided the exogenous shock to send the longest economic expansion in American history to an end. The robust steps taken recently by the Federal Reserve to shore up the front end of the money markets are essential to the free flow of capital and global economic stability, and in our view will help stabilize U.S. credit ... READ MORE >
Insurance industry girds for major impact from coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has turned everyday life upside down for nearly every American. Many schools have closed and in certain areas residents have been ordered to stay in their homes. As its impact is felt across the economy, the insurance industry will not be spared. Some of the effects will be felt across the industry, and some will hit individual ... READ MORE >
For family offices, coronavirus presents a new challenge, and chance to reposition
As the human and economic toll of the coronavirus mounts, no sector of the economy has been immune from the downturn, and this includes family offices. Like any industry sector, family offices are facing challenges in managing the crisis. For instance, employees working from home was uncommon in the past because of the cost of technology improvements. But ... READ MORE >
As coronavirus spreads, private equity contracts even as it prepares for a rebound
As the U.S. financial system and broader economy swoon from fear of the damage that the coronavirus will leave in its wake, private equity deal flow will soon begin to feel the pinch. Although data for the first quarter of 2020 is not yet complete, indications are that deal flow has slowed based on the dollar value, deal count and average premiums paid in ... READ MORE >
The coronavirus impact on the financial services sector
The spread of the coronavirus and its accompanying shock to the global economic system has spurred widespread fear within the financial services sector. The disruption has led senior leaders at financial services firms to ask some basic questions, from how do we keep our employees safe, to what does our near-term financial health look like, to what if this ... READ MORE >
As leveraged loans rise, so do risks for middle market companies
A storm is brewing in the corporate debt market, and it has the potential to threaten the middle market. With the amount of easy capital surrounding this sector of the economy, midsize companies have bitten off more than they can chew if the business cycle were to hit the brakes. And with recent geopolitical events and the coronavirus outbreak, the middle ... READ MORE >
As hedge funds struggle, money flows to limited stakes in private equity firms
Amid the soaring markets of the past few years, some in the asset management community have faced a conundrum. Investors have demanded better performance, but asset managers who pursue alternative strategies, like hedge funds, have struggled to keep up. The result is that many hedge funds have closed down, rolled up into a family office or returned ... READ MORE >
As ESG accreditation evolves, don’t forget the Principles for Responsible Investment
As socially responsible investing has grown in recent years, so too have the number of organizations looking to create some sort of accreditation for investors. Groups like the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board, the Global Reporting Initiative and CDP Global are looking for ways to provide a sort of Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval that reassures ... READ MORE >
SEC brings clarity to accredited investors and family offices
Every four years, the Securities and Exchange Commission is required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law to modify the rules protecting investors. The original protections were put in place in 1982, but with the relentless pace of change in innovation, technology and investment options, those rules may quickly become outdated or irrelevant. This is ... READ MORE >