Orix Closing U.S. Mid-Market Leasing Department?

by Kit Menkin

Leasing News received several “insider” e-mails from alleged Orix employees who said they were informed they would not be employed and the middle market business would be closed as of May 15th 2006.

The Orix Public Finance web site directed us to:

“ Home > Equipment Finance Group > Our Team > Bill G. Fite Group President - Equipment Finance Group Phone: (770) 970-6189”

The telephone did not answer.

“B.G.”

Leasing News was aware on May 5, 2005, Bill G. Fite announced he was leaving to become senior vice president and national sales manager of Key's commercial leasing services group. Evidently the web site was not up to date.

A call to the public relations office on the press release dated 10-30-2005 ( the latest one posted) answered that it was “April 17” (the previous Monday) and the party was traveling, but to leave a message and he would call back right away. Unfortunately the mail box was full. A call back to Dallas, Texas was to no avail, as the telephone operator (after going through a bunch of buttons) said she thought the leasing sales department was in a sales meeting and could not come to the telephone.

A call to the international office told us to call Kennesaw, Georgia, not Dallas, Texas. We think we reached India, and not Japan, due to the accent of the person who answers. The operator was efficient, it should be noted, as we soon were able to leave a message into a “Fritz Brown?” voice mail box. We did not receive a telephone number, or call back. The web site listed as “Leasing Servicing/Administrator: Kandice Stephens. Her telephone never answered all morning or afternoon.

What if I were someone calling who wanted to make an equipment leasing application? I bet they would have given up long ago.