Cit

Cit is a commercial-finance brand, not a retailer: it provides middle-market lending, leasing, treasury and cash-management services to companies with $25M–$1B revenue. Products are priced at a premium to bank pricing but below private-equity rates; terms are customized and negotiated directly through relationship teams in 80+ North-American offices and via the cit.com client portal. The bank’s 115-year balance-sheet history and asset-backed lending expertise let it underwrite complex collateral (railcars, aircraft, tech hardware, inventory) that mainstream banks avoid. Its rail and aviation leasing subsidiaries operate 1,000+ locomotives and 300+ aircraft, giving borrowers access to sale-leaseback structures and residual-value risk sharing that few specialized lenders can match. Clients are CFOs, treasurers and owners of manufacturing, wholesale, retail, transportation and healthcare companies that need $10M–$500M in asset-based or cash-flow credit, often during acquisitions, turnarounds or fleet refreshes. They value speed of execution, covenant flexibility and sector-specific knowledge over the lowest rate. Cit competes with regional banks, large money-center lenders and independent finance companies that offer similar revolving credit and leasing products. It differentiates by combining a focused middle-market charter, deep equipment-industry residual data, and a single point of decision-making that can close deals in 4–6 weeks—faster than the 10–12 week syndicated-bank timeline and with fewer restrictive covenants.