Jeremy Baker leads the Central Region and Canada ABL Originations for Wells Fargo Capital Finance, overseeing a team sourcing senior secured credit facilities from $10 million to over $1 billion.
With 24 years of corporate lending experience, he began at LaSalle Bank in Chicago before joining Wells Fargo in 2007. He has structured hundreds of financings, exceeding $25 billion in aggregate commitments.
Beyond his professional achievements, Baker is an active board member for the Middle Market Open, supporting the National Kidney Foundation.
Among the many transactions in Baker’s career, one that stands out is a transformative deal in the industrial services sector. The company has since been acquired by a public entity, but at the time, Baker structured a $750 million ABL solution in conjunction with $1 billion in high yield notes to finance an acquisition. Faced with secured debt baskets in existing indentures that the company sought to preserve, Baker devised an innovative structure: an ABL to a special purpose entity (AR securitization with ABL advance rates) and a $150 million inventory-only ABL. Initially met with skepticism, Baker’s determination and detailed legal preparation ultimately led to a successful, oversubscribed financing.
“Just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be, especially if you apply logic, creativity and trust your instincts,” Baker says.
Baker emphasizes that celebrating too early is a common pitfall. “Until the wire has been confirmed, the deal isn’t closed,” he says.
He believes the best originators analyze setbacks in detail, find solutions and align stakeholders to keep deals on track. Over the past four years, his team has closed more than $8 billion in commitments and funded $3.5 billion.
Baker stresses mastering all aspects of asset-based lending, building credit skills and above all, maintaining integrity. “Credibility is everything.”
