ELFA’s CapEx Finance Index tracks activity among participating equipment finance companies. Use it to understand the direction of financing activity, while keeping its sample, reporting period and definitions separate from your own project.
Start with the reporting population
The index reflects participating companies across the equipment finance sector. It is not a register of every U.S. lease or equipment purchase. Read the methodology and distinguish activity reported by respondents from estimates or forecasts for a wider market.
Compare like periods
A month-to-month movement can reflect timing as well as underlying demand. Compare the same measures over consistent periods, note revisions and avoid mixing a year-to-date figure with a single month. For a purchasing decision, the trend is more useful than an isolated headline.
Connect the index to an operating decision
An expanding market may coincide with supplier backlogs, while a slower market may create negotiating opportunities on equipment. Neither outcome is assured. Confirm current supplier availability, separate equipment pricing from financing costs and give the provider a realistic acceptance schedule.
What the September 2026 release reported
ELFA published the September 2026 CapEx Finance Index on October 27, 2026. Participating member companies reported $11.8 billion of new business volume for September on a seasonally adjusted basis, 0.7% below August. Year over year, volume rose 14.7% on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, and year-to-date volume was 17.0% above the same period of 2025.
The credit measures moved in different directions. The average credit approval rate rose 2.4 percentage points to 77.7%, the overall loss rate rose 0.04 percentage points to 0.48%, unchanged from a year earlier, and the delinquency rate fell to 1.6%, which ELFA describes as its lowest level since April 2023.
These are aggregates from the reporting companies. An average approval rate is not the probability that a given project will be accepted, and strong volume says nothing about the terms a provider would offer on your equipment. For planning, confirm supplier lead times and the validity date of the quote before you set the financing timeline, whatever the monthly headline.
Before your next equipment-financing conversation
Use the following points to prepare the project. These are practical planning questions, not eligibility criteria or an offer. The appropriate financing provider determines what it can consider after reviewing the applicant and equipment.
- Record the release and measurement period
- Check whether a figure is actual or forecast
- Verify your supplier quote independently
Sources & further reading
Published September 19, 2026. This is a project-preparation guide, not an eligibility decision, financing offer, or individualized legal, tax or accounting advice.
