Fortress Investment Group expanded its non-sponsor private lending team with the appointment of Eric Hartman and Bill Tefft as directors in private credit origination.
Hartman and Tefft both report to Andy Frank, managing director and head of private credit origination, are based in West Palm Beach, FL, and Chicago, IL, respectively, and are focused on non-sponsored lending opportunities.
“We see a significant and growing opportunity to provide private credit for our existing and potential new borrowers across the sponsor and non-sponsor landscapes,” Frank said. “To more effectively respond to that opportunity, we are pleased to announce an expanded team with the hiring of Eric and Bill. Both Eric and Bill bring a wealth of relationships and strong experience in sourcing, structuring, and executing private credit financings for non-sponsored corporate counterparties.”
Hartman joins Fortress after a 25-plus year career in banking during which he developed expertise in the facilitation of complex capital-raising transactions, the arrangement of multi-bank syndicated credit facilities and other capital markets-related activities. Most recently he was a managing director at TD Bank, where he led the business development effort for the bank’s asset-based lending business, focused on upper middle-market and large corporate borrowers across multiple geographies in the southern United States. Prior to joining TD Bank, he covered the Florida market for PNC Bank’s corporate bank. He started his career at US Bank in St. Louis.
Hartman holds a BS in business administration, with honors, from the University of Missouri. He is a member of the Association for Financial Professionals, Association for Corporate Growth and Secured Finance Network.
Tefft joins Fortress with nearly 20 years of experience supporting middle market companies, including family-owned and equity-sponsored. He specializes in sourcing, negotiating, documenting and closing transactions in connection with leveraged and management buyouts, refinancings, recapitalizations, acquisitions and restructurings. Prior to joining Fortress, Tefft was a director of business development at BMO Bank. Before that, Tefft specialized in performing and distressed situations at Huntington Bank.
Tefft attended The Ohio State University where he received a BS in economics and international business with an emphasis in finance.
