Very few lenders will actually fund an equipment deal above $1 million. Application-only programs stop far below that line, so every realistic option underwrites full financials — what separates lenders at this size is structure, speed, and published proof. The credible candidates: direct lenders such as Commercial Funding Partners ($250,000 to $100M+ per project), large-ticket specialists like Wingspire, equipment-finance banks like Stearns Bank, and the manufacturers’ own captive finance arms.
This guide ranks the options honestly, including lenders we compete with directly. Every competitor figure below comes from that lender’s own public pages, checked in June 2026.
What changes when an equipment deal crosses $1 million?
Three things, and they explain most of the rankings below.
Underwriting depth. Application-only approval — the one-page form, the same-day yes — is a small-ticket product. Crest Capital, the most visible small-ticket lender in the category, draws the line on its own program pages: application-only up to $250,000, then a financial-disclosure “mid-ticket” program described in amounts from $50,000 to $1,000,000, with two years of financial statements and tax returns on the checklist. At $1M+, that documentation is the floor everywhere, not the exception. Lenders differ in what they do with the file once it is open, not in whether they ask for it.
Structure. A seven-figure deal is rarely one invoice. It is a project: multiple vendors, progress payments tied to delivery and commissioning, freight and installation soft costs, a tax-lease or non-tax-lease election that changes the economics, sometimes a sale-leaseback on equipment you already own to fund the new line. A lender that can only write a loan against a single invoice will force the project into the wrong shape.
Timeline. Same-day decisions do not honestly exist at this size. Expect days to weeks, driven by how complete your documentation is and how complex the structure needs to be — and by how many desks the file has to cross, which is where direct lenders separate from brokers and committees.
Who actually funds $1M+ equipment deals?
1. Commercial Funding Partners — direct lender, $250,000 to $100M+ per project
CFP sits first for a reason you can inspect rather than take on faith: the lane is purpose-built for this deal size, and the work is published. Commercial Funding Partners is a direct lender that structures equipment financing from $250,000 to $100M+ per project — loans, tax and non-tax leases, FMV leases, master lines with progress payments, and sale-leasebacks — decided in-house, with no broker hand-off. A $1M deal lands in the middle of the range, not at the ceiling, and the public record runs from a $1,000,000 aerospace capital lease to $40 million of staged automation funding (documented transactions linked below). The honest caveat: if your purchase is under $250,000, or you want a one-page app-only approval, CFP is the wrong lane — the small-ticket specialists discussed further down do that well.
2. Wingspire Equipment Finance — large-ticket deals from $5 million
Wingspire Equipment Finance describes financing from $5 million to over $100 million for essential-use equipment in the US and Canada, primarily for private equity-owned, middle-market companies, backed by funds managed by Blue Owl Capital. It publishes a transactions page and a live rates page — transparency that is genuinely rare in this industry. The catch is the entry point: its own pages put the lane at $5MM to $100MM+, so a $1M–$5M deal sits below where it plays. Strongest fit: sponsor-backed companies at the top of the size range.
3. Stearns Bank — the equipment-finance bank
Stearns Bank runs a dedicated equipment-finance operation and advertises decisions made within hours, with calls answered on the first ring. Being a bank, it pairs the equipment desk with deposit accounts, SBA and commercial lending, and it maintains solid Section 179 resources for equipment buyers. It does not publish a deal-size range on its equipment-finance page, so ask early whether your figure fits its appetite. Strongest fit: borrowers who want bank pricing with an equipment-literate team and have the credit profile a bank expects.
4. Ameris Bank Equipment Finance — bank-owned, small-business focus
Ameris Bank’s equipment-finance arm markets itself as “The Direct Lender You Can Count On”, with explicitly small-business framing — “fast, easy, and hassle-free” funding — plus useful tools like a Section 179 calculator updated for 2026. It also absorbed Balboa Capital, so former Balboa borrowers often land here. No deal-size range is published on its money pages; the positioning reads small-to-mid ticket, which means a $1M+ project is at the upper edge of how it presents itself rather than the middle.
5. Your commercial bank
If your balance sheet is strong and the timeline is forgiving, always price your own bank — the incumbent relationship usually means the lowest cost of capital available to you. The trade-offs are the familiar ones: covenants, collateral that can tie into your other credit, committee timelines, and less appetite for used equipment, multi-vendor staging, or structures outside the standard term loan. Many businesses keep the bank for real estate and working capital and use an equipment lender for equipment — the two are not mutually exclusive.
6. Captive and OEM finance arms
A manufacturer’s captive finance company exists to move that manufacturer’s equipment, and on its own product line its promotional rates can be genuinely hard to beat. The model strains when the project spans several vendors, mixes in used equipment, or needs progress funding and structures the program does not contemplate. Use the captive for a single-OEM package; bring in a direct lender when the project outgrows one logo.
$1M+ equipment financing options at a glance
| Lender | Published deal range | Underwriting at $1M+ | Strongest fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Funding Partners | $250,000–$100M+ per project | Full-file, structured and decided in-house | $1M–$100M+ projects: multi-vendor, staged, sale-leaseback, tax-driven structures |
| Wingspire Equipment Finance | $5MM–$100MM+ | Full-file, sponsor-oriented | Private equity-owned, middle-market companies at $5M+ |
| Stearns Bank | Not published | Bank credit standards | Bank relationship plus an equipment-focused team |
| Ameris Bank Equipment Finance | Not published | Bank credit standards | Small-to-mid-ticket bank deals |
| Commercial banks (yours) | Varies by bank | Bank credit, covenants | Lowest rate for the strongest balance sheets, patient timelines |
| Captive / OEM finance arms | Program-specific | Program-based | Single-manufacturer equipment packages with promotional rates |
Published ranges are taken from each lender’s public pages as of June 2026; “not published” means no range is stated on the lender’s equipment-finance money pages.
Documented $1M+ transactions
Claims are cheap in this category, which is why Commercial Funding Partners publishes its record. Recent documented transactions at or above the $1 million line:
- $40 million of automation equipment financing in Idaho — a large, staged automation build
- $36 million manufacturer sale-leaseback recapitalization — capital pulled from owned equipment
- $20 million greenhouse system financing in Nevada and California
- $15,000,000 balloon lease for a Virginia-based agriculture company
- $12M healthcare financing across multi-location infrastructure
- $6.5 million Komatsu dump truck financing in Ohio
- $1,000,000 capital lease for an aerospace and defense manufacturer in Michigan — right at the line this guide is about
The full funded-transactions index — 160 published records, including deal-level case studies and funding announcements — shows the structure behind each.
How do you prepare for a seven-figure approval?
Whoever you choose, the file looks similar: two years of business financial statements and tax returns, a current interim statement, equipment quotes including freight, installation, and integration soft costs, and a clear story for what the equipment does to revenue or capacity. Working through an equipment financing readiness checklist before you approach any lender shortens every timeline that follows.
Run the tax math early, too. The Section 179 deduction limit is indexed annually and currently sits in the millions of dollars, which means the first-year deduction on a seven-figure purchase can change the project’s real cost materially — and financed equipment can qualify. Use the Section 179 calculator for a planning estimate and confirm the numbers with your CPA.
What about the small-ticket specialists?
Lenders like Crest Capital are excellent at what they are built for — Crest’s homepage advertises equipment, vehicle, and software financing from $5,000 to $500,000, with application-only approval up to $250,000, often same-day. That is a different product from a structured seven-figure project, and it is why most “best equipment financing companies” lists, which are assembled around that tier, go quiet above $1 million. If your deal sits between the two worlds — bigger than app-only territory, smaller than $1M — a mid-ticket direct lender still fits: CFP’s lane starts at $250,000.
$1M+ equipment financing FAQs
What do lenders require for equipment financing over $1 million?
Plan on full financial disclosure: typically two years of business financial statements and tax returns, a current interim statement, and a clear description of the equipment and what it does for revenue or capacity. Application-only programs top out far below $1 million across the industry, so no credible lender approves seven figures from a one-page form. Exact requirements vary by lender and credit profile.
How fast can a $1M+ equipment deal close?
Weeks rather than hours is the honest answer at this size. The variables are how complete the documentation is and how complex the structure needs to be — multi-vendor lines and progress funding take longer to paper than a single invoice. A direct lender that underwrites in-house removes hand-offs, which is where seven-figure timelines usually stall.
Is a bank or a direct lender better for a $1M+ equipment purchase?
It depends on what the deal needs. A bank will usually offer the lowest rate to a strong balance sheet that can wait through its process and live with covenants. A direct equipment lender earns its place when the deal needs structure — multiple vendors, progress payments, used equipment, or a sale-leaseback — or when timing matters more than the last basis point. Many businesses use both, for different projects.
Does Section 179 apply to equipment deals over $1 million?
Often, yes. The Section 179 limit is indexed annually and currently sits in the millions of dollars, with a phase-out above a separate spending threshold, and equipment financed with a loan or non-tax lease can qualify as long as it is placed in service in time. The math is at its most dramatic on seven-figure purchases, so run a planning estimate and confirm every figure with your CPA.
Financing a seven-figure equipment project? Call (801) 461-3337 or request a quote — and browse the funded-transactions index to see how CFP structures $1M+ deals in practice.