Hana Financial announced it started a new business unit called Hana Business Capital, headed by Clark D. Griffith. The new division will start originating asset-based lines of credit, revolvers and term loans to the lower middle market, backed by accounts receivables and inventory. Initially the team hopes to do ABL loans in the $2 million to $15 million range.

Griffith will be president and senior managing director at Hana Business Capital, and he is in the process of hiring a chief credit officer and an account executive. Griffith comes to Hana with more than 15 years of ABL experience at GE Capital and Union Bank.

Most recently, Griffith ran GE Capital Japan’s Structured Finance unit for nearly five years (both ABL and Leverage Finance) in Tokyo. Prior to that, he held both credit and sales roles at GE Capital’s Commercial Lending unit in Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as at GE Capital’s head office in Connecticut.