FINOVA Executives Comment at 8th Annual Investor Conference, Expect Robust Middle-Market Lending in 2000

Company Press Release: The FINOVA Group Inc.

February 29, 2000
SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- The FINOVA Group Inc. (NYSE: FNV), one of the largest commercial finance companies in the United States, concluded its eighth annual Investor Conference last week with a confident and upbeat message about the company's record-setting 1999 performance and its prospects for continued strong growth in 2000. ``FINOVA has positioned itself to serve virtually all lending needs of midsize business,'' said FINOVA Chairman & CEO Sam Eichenfield. ``We're confident that FINOVA will once again take advantage of opportunities to increase market share, generate new business and produce high-quality growth in 2000.''

With 55 investors and analysts in attendance, Eichenfield emphasized FINOVA's interest-rate insensitivity due to its matched-funding philosophy. In addition, FINOVA's senior credit officer, Portfolio Management Executive V.P. Greg Smalis, noted that many of FINOVA's business units underwrite new loans assuming a rising interest-rate environment to measure the impact of future increases on client cash flow. Smalis went on to state that, ``We continue to operate with a high level of credit discipline and will not sacrifice credit quality for growth.''

FINOVA President & Chief Operating Officer Matt Breyne reviewed the company's 1999 operational performance including the following highlights:

-- Rediscount Finance surpassed $1 billion in assets, growing from its
"humble de novo beginnings in 1993 to a preeminent position as the
leading lender to independent consumer finance companies, a position we
believe can be significantly expanded upon in 2000."

-- Resort Finance had a "great year" with 30% percent growth that expanded
its presence as the market-leading lender to the timeshare industry.
Expansion into select international markets and fractional-ownership
properties contributed to this business surpassing $1 billion in 1999
fundings and has it positioned for a strong 2000.

-- Newly acquired Fremont Financial Corporation, a December 1999
acquisition that added both "skill and scale" to FINOVA, was merged
into a combined Corporate Finance/Business Credit division with a new
regional structure that will provide "more intense marketing and
portfolio management and improved client retention that will enhance
growth and profitability."

-- FINOVA's other major acquisition in 1999, Sirrom Capital Corporation,
now FINOVA Mezzanine Capital, "exceeded our expectations in completing
a year of transformation into a FINOVA operating unit."

In his concluding remarks, Eichenfield expressed a high degree of optimism regarding FINOVA's future growth prospects and its ability to expand on the significant franchise value the company has built while focusing on its strategy to be The Capital Source for Midsize Business®.

Last month, FINOVA was listed among Fortune magazine's ``100 Best Companies to Work for in America'' for the second consecutive year and named to Forbes magazine's Platinum 400 List of the best-performing big companies in the U.S. based on growth and profitability.

The FINOVA Group Inc., through its principal operating subsidiary, FINOVA Capital Corporation, is one of the nation's leading financial service companies focused on providing a broad range of capital solutions primarily to midsize business. FINOVA is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., with business development offices throughout the U.S. and in London, U.K., and Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit the company's website at www.finova.com.

SOURCE: The FINOVA Group Inc.