CFA Market Sizing & Impact Study

Estimates of the size of the secured lending market range from $200B to $1T+ depending on the financial products and ancillary offerings that are considered. To date, no definitive studies have been published to accurately quantify and segment this market. As such, The Commercial Finance Association has partnered with Ernst & Young to provide a reliable assessment of the key dimensions and macro-economic impact of the CFA ecosystem of lenders, service providers and borrowers. This much needed information will be invaluable to our members’ planning, benchmarking, capital raising and advocacy efforts.

All Commercial Finance Association Member Companies received a communication with detailed instructions and a link to the online Ernst & Young questionnaire. The email containing the Market Sizing & Impact Study Survey information was sent to leaders and/or directors at member organizations and select others. If you did not receive this important communication and are the appropriate respondent for your company, or if you have questions related to the survey that are not addressed in this Q&A, contact:CFAsurvey@parthenon.ey.com

Member participation is critical to the accuracy and scope of our findings. Ernst & Young will evaluate existing market data, but member survey responses and interviews are critical to deliver a comprehensive assessment to size and segment the U.S. commercial finance marketplace. Your responses will give us a better understanding of the financing activity of CFA members, help evaluate the impact of U.S. commercial financing activity on the overall economy, and assist in determining key driving forces and market trends within our industry.

The confidentiality of CFA members will be maintained at all times and any data shared in conjunction with the Market Sizing & Impact Study will be protected. Ernst & Young has executed an agreement that contains confidentiality provisions limiting data obtained by Ernst & Young in conjunction with the survey and interview process to use in the aggregate and ensuring that Ernst & Young will not list or disclose the identity of the respondent(s) (except if specific permission has been previously provided by that respondent). Given the highly confidential nature of this information all survey responses will be made directly to Ernst & Young. For more information on Ernst & Young’s approach to protecting your data, please click the link below:Ernst & Young's approach to data protection.

No, the survey will work across all browsers and is also compatible with mobile devices.

The survey is quite comprehensive. We’ll ask you for perceptions of the industry at large, specific company information as well as the past three years’ financial information.

To simplify the survey completion process, Ernst & Young will be scheduling survey walkthrough and Q&A sessions on Wednesday, September 19th at 12pm EDT and Monday, September 24th at 12pm EDT at:Wednesday the 19th Walkthrough.
Monday the 24th Walkthrough.
All other questions can be sent to: CFAsurvey@parthenon.ey.com.

No, the survey does not have to be finished in one session. Survey responses can be collected over the course of a few days or weeks. Responses are saved as you progress, giving you the flexibility to provide input at different points in time.

Ernst & Young needs all participants to complete the survey by Wednesday, October 5th, 2018 in order to report outcomes at the CFA Annual Meeting in November.

The Study outcomes will be broadly communicated to promote our industry, attract capital and support our advocacy initiatives. All member companies that take part in the survey will receive an enhanced version of the report that allows them to compare their organization against the study benchmarks.