Gordon Brothers: Expanding its Roots in Asset-Based Lending and Industry Advocacy

Gordon Brothers has deep roots in the asset-based lending industry. Since 1903, businesses have trusted the firm to maximize liquidity through realizable asset value, providing the people, expertise and capital to solve business challenges.

Today, Gordon Brothers integrated solutions across asset services, lending, financing and trading give clients the insights, strategies and time to optimize asset values throughout the business cycle. The firm works across the full spectrum of assets globally with deep expertise in retail, commercial, industrial, brands and real estate and supports the underwriting for billions of dollars in loans made annually.

As active partners, Gordon Brothers deploys significant capital and global specialist expertise to support clients, including lenders and borrowers, and empower lenders with confidence by helping clients know the true value of their assets. The firm not only provides reliable valuations, as seen through the lens of a lender, which gives optionality, it also educates lenders, and the professionals who represent them, on how to protect value in their assets and extract this value when necessary.

Combined with an unrivalled combination of a unique approach to risk analysis, understanding of asset value and process expertise provides clients with speed and certainty of execution when lending.

Additionally, Gordon Brothers protects clients with the asset-based lending industry’s shift in risk focus beyond valuations to more process-oriented risks. Process costs, tightening timeframes and increasing risks are hampering borrowers’ ability to reorganize and lenders’ ability to realize their collateral.

As such, Gordon Brothers provides equity bids when asked. Based on these bids, the firm’s appraisals maximize value with requisite control. These results are often unattainable in fee deals, which can be more expensive due to third-party monitoring.

Given the frequent visibility of asset values, Gordon Brothers recognizes these can change more frequently than traditional six or 12-month appraisals, so the firm provides ad hoc feedback between appraisals and the firm’s team of asset experts continues to support transactions with input and monitoring from term sheet issuance through portfolio oversight.

Additionally, the firm has introduced more frequent “appraisal-light” services to improve transparency and provide better visibility into value shifts while publishing thought leadership about issues affecting values.

In addition to partnering with clients to unlock asset value, Gordon Brothers participates in several industry organizations, including Turnaround Management Association, Secured Finance Network, Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, National Equipment Finance Association and the American Association of Commercial
Finance Brokers.

Many individuals serve on the boards of these organizations and as chairpersons for industry conferences. They also contribute as thought leaders and educators for articles, webinars and educational initiatives for these organizations and others such as ABF Journal and ABL Advisor.

All in all, Gordon Brothers’ success as an industry advocate comes down to building trust with clients. The firm’s unique ability to combine services and deliver customized, integrated solutions quickly for clients ultimately creates long-term, lasting relationships.