Sponsor Finance

Private equity experience to help you build your business

Expertise and broad capabilities

Our experienced team of professionals provides our private equity and family office clients access to the full capabilities of First Citizens. Through a single point of contact, financial sponsors can access our cash flow and asset-based lending solutions, as well as debt capital markets and treasury management. We provide sponsor-owned middle- and lower-middle market companies with a range of resources necessary to support their portfolio companies over their investment horizon.

Ready to get started? Speak with our sponsor finance group.

Put our experience to work for you

Sponsor Finance Success Stories
Recent transactions

Sponsor Finance
Senior Secured Credit Facilities

$270,000,000

Pinnacle Service Brands LLC
Sponsor Finance
Senior Secured Credit Facilities

$22,000,000

Wellness Space
Sponsor Finance
Senior Secured Credit Facilities

$50,000,000

Mo'Bettahs
Sponsor Finance Products and services

Market-leading and broad scope of services

We develop long-standing relationships and ensure the consistent delivery of the full breadth of the bank's capabilities to private equity clients and their portfolio companies—all through a single point of contact.

  • Cash flow-based senior credit facilities, including term loans, revolving lines of credit and delayed-draw term loans or CAPEX lines
  • Asset-based senior credit facilities, including revolving lines of credit
  • Capital markets and risk management services, including underwriting and syndication, private placements, interest rate derivatives and foreign exchange derivatives
  • Capital call and subscription facilities
  • Equipment financing
  • Trade financing and factoring
  • Treasury management services
  • Wealth management services
Sponsor Finance Lending Capabilities

Our capabilities across a range of transactions

Our proven successes are based on our long-term commitment to the market and on the supportive and focused relationships we have with our private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies.

  • Leveraged buyouts
  • Add-on acquisitions
  • Refinancings
  • Recapitalizations
  • Growth financing
Sponsor Finance Industry Experience

Who we serve

We provide leveraged finance solutions across a diverse range of industry sectors targeted by financial sponsors.

  • Manufacturing
  • Distribution and Logistics
  • Industrial and Business Services
  • Healthcare
  • Technology and Telecommunications
  • Entertainment and Media
  • Aerospace, Defense and Government Services
  • Energy
Sponsor financing target criteria

What are the foundations of a successful partnership?

We deliver strong cash flow and asset-based lending capabilities that can help you power your goals forward. Meet these criteria to begin a long-standing relationship through a single point of contact.

  • EBITDA between $7.5 and $75 million
  • Enterprise value between $50 million and $1 billion
  • Committed equity from a fund or other source
  • Proven business fundamentals
  • Defensible market positions and barrier to entry
  • Strong and stable cash flows
  • Experienced management teams with deep knowledge

Sponsor Finance FAQ
People often ask us

Our sponsor finance team's successes are based on our long track record of providing financing to the private equity community, our ability to be thoughtful on structure and terms, our delivery on expectations in a timely manner, and our ability to underwrite credit and provide distribution within one team. Further, we've been able to leverage the experience of our regionally built relationships with individually owned middle market companies as they seek additional growth capital or liquidity events through partnering with private equity or family offices.

Our sponsor finance team provides both underwritten and club financing solutions to our clients to ensure they have the funds necessary to complete their transactions. Hold sizes are flexible and tailored to match the bank's role in the transaction and the overall size of the company and financing. While our primary focus is on structuring and lending senior secured debt, our capital markets team can arrange junior capital and the bank will undertake limited equity co-investments.

Our focus is on providing flexible leveraged solutions to meet the needs of the situation. The structures our sponsor finance team employs vary from all senior, senior and subordinated to first lien and second lien, as well as the first-out position in a unitranche facility. In situations when a cash flow situation is not the optimal solution, the bank can also provide asset-based and equipment financings.

Account openings and credit are subject to bank approval.

Not all applicants will qualify for financing. All finance programs and rates are subject to final approval by First Citizens and are subject to change at any time without notice. Supporting financial documentation may be required for any transaction with First Citizens. If a transaction is more than $500,000, supporting financial documentation will be required.

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NMLSR ID 503941