Membership Information

Contents:


Who is ELFA?

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association representing financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing investment in capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad.

ELFA has over 750 members including independent and captive leasing and finance companies, commercial banks, diversified financial services companies, broker and packagers, investment banks, and service providers. For more information, please visit www.ELFAOnline.org.

ELFA member companies involved in the origination and financing of commercial equipment include:

  • Independents, which are not affiliated with any one manufacturer or commercial bank and who purchase equipment from various manufacturers and may go to the capital markets for funding
  • Captives, which are companies set up by a manufacturer or equipment dealer to finance the sale or lease of its own products to endusers
  • Banks, which finance the sale or lease equipment

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What does ELFA do for its Members?

Members tell us they see valuable benefits instantly and which accrue over time:

  • A forum for business development. ELFA meetings present timely information and important networking opportunities; topical conferences include the Financial Institutions Conference, Equipment Management, Captive and Vendor Finance, Credit and Collections, Legal, Accounting and Funding Exhibition among others. The Funding Source online database and access to the ELFA online and membership database enable members to research contacts and find each other according to searchable criteria.
    • To view ELFA's business development offerings, please visit the ELFA Online Events Section.
  • Professional development. Management and employee training programs presented across the country include Principles of Leasing and Finance and Credit Underwriting, as well as online web-learning training programs and other educational offerings.
    • To view ELFA's professional development offerings, please visit the ELFA Online Events Section.
  • The principal source for industry research and analyses. Vital to your business, analyses and statistics covering the equipment finance sector such as the annual Survey of Industry Activity, compensation surveys, the Monthly Leasing and Finance Index 25 (MLFI-25) and others help you assess your business and benchmark among the industry.
    • To access ELFA's comprehensive industry information, please visit ELFA Online's Research Section
  • Exclusive content. The ELT monthly magazine and the Enews Daily electronic newsletter provide timely reporting and indispensable industry information.
  • A platform for industry advocacy. ELFA is the industry's principal advocate before federal and state policymakers, regulators and standard setting bodies. Federal advocacy efforts involve providing certainty and transparency by preserving the tax, financial and business principles which affect equipment finance. State advocacy efforts involve taxes, fees, electronic recycling, liability and ethics.

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ELFA Membership Types

  • Regular Membership
    Regular membership is open to any company, or division or subsidiary thereof, located in the United States, or in the case of a foreign domiciled company operating in the United States, engaged in the financing of equipment to other commercial users or in the funding or arranging of such financing.
  • Associate Membership
    An individual or company operating in the United States which is not eligible for regular membership, but which has an interest in, or a relationship to, the equipment finance industry.
  • Arranger Membership
    Arranger Membership is open to any companies acting as brokers, syndicators, investment bankers, lessee advisors, lessor advisors, and/or portfolio managers for the purpose of purely generating fee income. The dues schedule is based on the annual volume arranged.
  • International Membership
    Any company or individual not located or operating in the United States but which otherwise satisfies the requirements for regular or associate membership.
  • Investor Membership
    Investor members are companies which invest in lease financing companies and/or transactions. Investor membership is exclusive of any other regular member status, and does not apply any company affiliated with an investor member which is engaged to a substantial extent in the leasing and/or financing of equipment to other commercial users.
  • Transitional Membership
    An individual may be eligible for transitional membership if he or she has previously been an employee of a regular member of the Association. An individual shall not be eligible for transitional membership if he or she presently is an employee of a regular member of the Association or a company eligible for such membership. Application for transitional membership may be submitted by an individual who was employed by a regular member within the last twelve months. The transitional membership of an individual may continue for no longer than eighteen months after an individual became such a member. A transitional member shall not be entitled to vote or be elected as an officer or director of the association. Other specific requirements for, and the financial obligations of, transitional members shall be specified from time to time by the Board of Directors.

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Not a member?

Any company involved in the equipment finance industry is eligible to apply for membership. For information on how to join, call Member Services at 202.238.3400 or request an application online.

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