One of ELFA’s most widely used survey-based business intelligence resources, the Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) is designed to help member organizations achieve competitive advantage by providing leading-edge industry data that informs their strategic decision-making. It’s an indicator of the health of the equipment finance sector and the extent of equipment demand in a given month.
The MLFI-25 is the only near-real-time index that reflects capex, or the volume of commercial equipment financed in the U.S. It is released globally each month at 8 a.m. Eastern time from Washington, D.C., on the day before the U.S. Department of Commerce releases the durable goods report. Analysis has shown a strong correlation in performance between the two data sets, and the MLFI-25 also complements other economic indexes, including the Institute for Supply Management Index, which reports economic activity in the manufacturing sector. Together with the MLFI-25 these reports provide a complete view of the status of productive assets in the U.S. economy: equipment produced, acquired and financed.
View the latest Monthly Leasing and Finance Index
MLFI-25 2023 Release Dates
- Jan 2023 MLFI:
Fri, Feb 24, 2023
- Feb 2023 MLFI:
Thu, March 23, 2023
- March 2023 MLFI:
Tue, April 25, 2023
- Apr 2023 MLFI:
Thu, May 25, 2023
- May 2023 MLFI:
Mon, June 26, 2023
- June 2023 MLFI:
Wed, July 26, 2023
- July 2023 MLFI:
Wed, Aug 23, 2023
- Aug 2023 MLFI:
Tue, Sep 26, 2023
- Sept 2023 MLFI:
Wed, Oct 25, 2023
- Oct 2023 MLFI:
Tue, Nov 21, 2023
- Nov 2023 MLFI:
Thu, Dec 21, 2023
- Dec 2023 MLFI:
Wed, Jan 24, 2023
MLFI-25 Methodology
The MLFI-25 measures monthly commercial equipment lease and loan activity as reported by the same 25 participating ELFA member equipment finance companies representing a cross section of the equipment finance sector, including small ticket, middle-market, large ticket, bank, captive and independent leasing and finance companies. The responses mirror the economic activity of the broader equipment finance sector and current business conditions nationally. The MLFI-25 provides a snapshot of the general direction of five key metrics:
- New business volume
- Accounts receivable
- Average losses (charge-offs)
- Credit approvals
- Change in headcount.
Through this collection of metrics, organizations can benchmark their operations and gauge their performance against industry peers.
Full Listing of MLFI Participants
The MLFI reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the equipment finance sector, drawn from the companies listed below:
- Bank of America Global Leasing
- Bank of the West
- BMO Harris Equipment Finance
- Canon Financial Services
- Caterpillar Financial Services
- CIT
- Citizens Asset Finance
- Dell Financial Services
- DLL
- Fifth Third Bank
- First American Equipment Finance, an RBC / City National Company
- Frost Equipment Leasing and Finance
- GreatAmerica Financial Services
- HP, Inc.
- HPE Financial Services Company
- Huntington Equipment Finance
- John Deere Financial
- Key Equipment Finance
- LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.
- M&T Bank
- Marlin Capital Solutions
- Merchants Bank Equipment Finance
- Mitsubishi HC Capital America, Inc.
- PNC Equipment Finance
- Societe Generale Equipment Finance
- Siemens Financial Services
- Stearns Bank
- Stonebriar Commercial Finance
- TD Equipment Finance
- TIAA Commercial Finance, Inc.
- US Bancorp Business Equipment Finance
- Volvo Financial Services
- Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
Special Cuts
ELFA also produces separate cuts of MLFI data:
- The Small Ticket MLFI is a subset of the MLFI-25 companies whose total volume is comprised of 80% or more of small-ticket transactions.
- The Financial Institutions MLFI collects data from additional smaller banks not reporting in the MLFI-25.
View the latest data