Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc. Launched With Over $1.75 Billion in Equity...

Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc. Launched With Over $1.75 Billion in
Equity Commitments
Newly Formed Commercial Finance Company Created to Support the Financing Needs
of Middle Market Companies

NEW YORK, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc.
("Tygris"), a commercial finance company, today announced its formation and
funding with over $1.75 billion in equity commitments -- the largest initial
capital raise ever in the U.S. commercial finance sector. Tygris has
assembled a team of commercial finance industry executives with significant
experience leading large commercial finance businesses. Frederick E. "Rick"
Wolfert, formerly Vice Chairman of Commercial Finance of the CIT Group and
President of Heller Financial Inc., is the Company's CEO. Tygris will
initially have offices in Chicago, Stamford, CT and Parsippany, NJ.
Tygris was founded by Aquiline Capital Partners LLC ("Aquiline"), a New
York based private equity firm specializing in financial services, with New
Mountain Capital, L.L.C. and TPG Capital joining as lead investors. Tygris'
key investors also include Diamond Castle Holdings, LLC and Hamilton Lane.
Tygris has established significant relationships with financial institutions
including Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Barclays,
Wachovia and Wells Fargo Foothill.
Tygris was created to provide liquidity and growth capital to middle
market companies throughout North America in response to the current credit
market dislocation that has constrained the availability of such capital. The
Company initially will concentrate on developing leading franchise positions
in three commercial finance businesses: middle market corporate finance,
middle market equipment leasing and asset finance, and small ticket leasing.
Tygris has entered into an agreement to acquire US Express Leasing, Inc.,
an equipment finance company headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, from DLJ
Merchant Banking Partners in an all-stock transaction. Tygris has also
entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets and
business of MarCap LLC, a middle market healthcare equipment finance company
headquartered in Chicago.
"The credit crisis has clearly made it very challenging for middle market
companies to access financing," said Mr. Wolfert. "Tygris, with over $1.75
billion in equity commitments, has been created to provide a full range of
value-added finance and leasing products to a sector that our senior
management team has been dedicated to serving for over 25 years."
"Since last summer, Aquiline observed a serious shortage of financing
available to middle market companies in North America," said Jeff Greenberg,
Managing Partner of Aquiline and Chairman of Tygris. "We founded Tygris to
respond to this dramatic imbalance."
In addition to Mr. Wolfert, Tygris has assembled an experienced team of
senior executives with demonstrated track records of success working together
and heading major commercial finance businesses, including: -- Steven F.
Kluger, EVP, Capital Markets and Corporate Strategy, formerly
President and CEO of GE Capital Markets Services, Inc.;
-- Stuart A. Armstrong, President of Corporate Finance, formerly President
and CEO of Black Diamond Commercial Finance L.L.C. and Senior Managing
Director and Head of Corporate Lending's vertical industry financing
groups at GE Commercial Finance;
-- Laird M. Boulden, President of Asset Finance (based in Chicago),
formerly President and CEO of RBS Asset Finance, Inc. and President and
co-founder of the Commercial Equipment Finance Group for Heller
Financial Inc.;
-- Tim J. Eichenlaub, EVP, Chief Risk Officer, formerly Senior Managing
Director and Group Head for CIT's Sponsor Finance business;
-- T. Doug Hollowell, EVP, General Counsel and Head of Depository
Strategy, formerly Executive Director at Morgan Stanley Corporate
Treasury and General Counsel at Merrill Lynch Capital.

About Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc.
Tygris is a commercial finance company that provides liquidity and growth
capital to middle market companies throughout North America. Tygris has three
commercial finance businesses: middle market corporate finance, middle market
equipment leasing and asset finance, and small ticket leasing. Tygris has
offices in Chicago, Stamford, CT and Parsippany, NJ. For more information
please visit www.TygrisCFG.com.
About Aquiline Capital Partners LLC
Aquiline is a private equity firm based in New York investing in financial
services enterprises in industries such as property and casualty insurance,
specialty finance, securities, asset management, life insurance, and
transaction processing. Aquiline seeks to add value to its portfolio
companies through strategic, operational, and financial guidance.
About New Mountain Capital, L.L.C.
New Mountain Capital is a New York-based private equity firm investing for
long-term capital appreciation through direct investment in growth equity
transactions, leveraged acquisitions, and management buyouts. The Firm
currently manages private and public equity funds with over $8.5 billion in
aggregate commitments. New Mountain seeks out the highest-quality growth
leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with
management to build the value of these companies. For more information please
visit www.newmountaincapital.com.
About TPG Capital
TPG Capital is the global buyout group of TPG, a leading private
investment firm founded in 1992 with more than $50 billion of assets under
management and offices in San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, New York,
Minneapolis, Fort Worth, Melbourne, Menlo Park, Moscow, Mumbai, Beijing,
Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. TPG Capital has extensive experience with
global public and private investments executed through leveraged buyouts,
recapitalizations, spinouts, joint ventures and restructurings. TPG Capital's
investments span a variety of industries including financial services,
industrials, healthcare, technology, retail, consumer, travel and
entertainment and media and communications. For more information please visit
www.tpg.com.
About Diamond Castle Holdings, LLC
Diamond Castle Holdings, LLC is a private equity firm with over $1.85
billion of committed capital under management. Founded in 2004 by five senior
investment professionals from DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, Diamond Castle
specializes in leveraged buyouts, growth capital and equity-like investments
in both public and private companies. Diamond Castle targets investments in
the following industry sectors: media and communications, energy and power,
financial services, healthcare and diversified industries. Diamond Castle has
25 employees located in New York, New York. For more information please visit
www.dchold.com.
About Hamilton Lane
Hamilton Lane is an independently owned financial institution which
provides alternative asset management services to institutional investors
worldwide. Founded in 1991 and headquartered outside of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, Hamilton Lane manages over $10 billion in managed accounts and
an additional $75 billion in advisory assets. Hamilton Lane has additional
offices in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and
Tel Aviv. Hamilton Lane clients and investors around the world include public
and corporate pension funds, labor union funds, financial institutions,
insurance companies, foundations and endowments. For more information please
visit www.hamiltonlane.com.
About US Express Leasing, Inc.
US Express Leasing, headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, is an equipment
finance company originating transactions through manufacturers, distributors
and dealers in the commercial & industrial, graphic arts, healthcare, office
products and technology industries. For more information please visit
www.usxl.com.
About MarCap LLC
MarCap, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the nation's largest middle
market healthcare equipment financing companies and has provided creative,
flexible financing solutions for more than 30 years. MarCap works directly
with ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic imaging centers, hospitals and
cancer and dialysis centers, and provides funding for healthcare equipment
manufacturers. For more information please visit www.marcapcorp.com.
SOURCE Tygris Commercial Finance Group, Inc.

Andy Merrill, andy.merrill@finsbury.com, or Tripp Kyle,
tripp.kyle@finsbury.com, both of Finsbury Group for Tygris Commercial Finance
Group, Inc., +1-212-303-7600