Our Beginnings.
Founded in 1958 by current Chairman Lawrence A. Sherman, Puritan
Finance Corporation started out as an independent consumer finance
and chattel mortgage finance company. The transition to commercial
finance began in 1963, with the acceptance of the UCC laws by
the state of Illinois. Puritan moved into asset-based lending,
remaining a non-bank affiliated lender.
Our current President, William Zimmerman, met Larry Sherman in
1953 when the two worked together at a local consumer finance
company at 63rd and Halsted in Chicago. At the same time Sherman
was starting Puritan, Zimmerman was becoming a friendly competitor,
starting Circle Acceptance Corporation. In 1969, Zimmerman
and his partners sold Circle to GE Capital and shortly afterwards,
in 1970, he joined forces with Sherman again, contributing
greatly to the growth of Puritan and helping develop it into
the respected lending institution it is today.
Our Name.
The name Puritan reflects the influences of Sherman's tenure
in Pennsylvania while earning his MBA at the Wharton School of Business.
It embodies simple, straightforward honesty and the Puritan work
ethic–the drive to succeed through hard work and perseverance.
As a lender, we strive for that same approach to work and life–and
we look for that kind of drive in the businesses we assist. | 
