Commercial Finance


The ever-evolving financial services sector, which is heavily impacted by new regulations, myriad market forces, and unrelenting competition, requires comprehensive legal services that effectively anticipate industry change and proactively deliver bottom-line results.

Ulmer’s Commercial Finance Industry Group provides broad, holistic counsel to an array of financial services industry participants, including borrowers, banks, mezzanine lenders, hedge funds, private equity and non-traditional lenders, and other public and private lending sources.

As one of the most highly respected commercial finance practices in the Midwest, we are active nationwide and bring decades of transactional experience to bear in assisting clients with finance activities related to the full spectrum of commercial activity from acquisition to recapitalization or exit, from commercial real estate acquisition to inventory financing, and from equipment leasing to factoring to tax-exempt bond financing. We are known for our depth of practice, good business sense, accessibility, practical judgment, and ability to successfully close transactions. We routinely advise clients involved in complex capital stacks to resolve intercreditor issues at closing and during the life of the senior facility.

Transactions in which Commercial Finance Industry Group members regularly provide counsel include the following:

  • Acquisitions
  • Revolving/working capital financing
  • Inventory/Asset-based lending
  • Automotive floorplan financing
  • Capital expenditures/term debt
  • Domestic and international letter of credit financing
  • Equipment leasing
  • ISDA interest rate swaps
  • Mezzanine and second lien financing
  • Commercial real estate (acquisition, development, and construction)
  • Sponsor finance
  • Syndications, club deals, and participations
  • Taxable and tax-exempt bonds
  • Tax credit financing (Historic and New Markets Tax Credits)
  • Tax increment financing
  • Recapitalization/equity buyout
  • Debtor-in-possession financing
  • Restructure/workout

Our industry group draws upon the wide range of the firm’s resources and involves every practice area of the firm. For example, our interdisciplinary team offers a deep knowledge of privacy, ERISA, tax, labor, and environmental laws to provide the fullest understanding of our clients’ legal risks and business opportunities. The firm’s deep bench strength enables our commercial finance attorneys to advise and structure financing arrangements in a way that minimizes our clients’ risk throughout the lending relationship.

March 13, 2023 – Among America’s largest banks and formerly well-regarded by analysts, investors, and venture-backed companies alike, the sudden failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) last week sent shockwaves through the venture capital and banking industries. Though not a household name, SVB held over $209 billion in total assets...

MobilityWorks, a leading provider of wheelchair accessible vehicles, was recently featured in a Crain’s Cleveland Business article entitled, “MobilityWorks is wheeling ‘accessibility for all’ into new markets.” The article focused on the company’s expansion following its partnership with Flexpoint Ford, a private equity firm that focuses on the health care...

Representative Experience