Executive Summary

Process mining analysis of 18 equipment financing organizations reveals that the average cost to process an application from submission to funding stands at $427, with significant variation based on transaction complexity and organizational maturity. This cost structure creates fundamental profitability challenges, particularly for mid-market transactions where net margins often fall below 100 basis points. The analysis identifies specific process steps consuming disproportionate resources: manual credit review averaging $147 per application, document collection and verification at $118, and funding coordination at $89. Leading organizations achieve per-application costs 40% below industry average through targeted automation, process redesign, and strategic resource allocation.