Eight out of ten American companies lease all or some of their equipment.  Each year more companies, particularly small companies, choose to procure new productive equipment through leases rather than loans. Companies that lease tend to be smaller, growth and technology oriented organizations.  According to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, leasing continues to be the most widely used method of asset-based financing in the U.S., accounting for approximately one-third of the external financing of capital investment.  The 2006 estimate for leases is $220 billion out of $794 billion in total new business equipment investment.  That figure is up from $203 billion in equipment leases on $733 billion in new business equipment investment for 2005.  The projection for new equipment investment in 2007 is greatly improved at $846 billion, of which $234 billion will be leased.

  Leasing Survey Questions and Results