Wintrust CEO sees hope for manufacturing

The Chicago Tribunehas reported that Edward Wehmer, CEO of Lake Forest, Ill.-based Wintrust Financial Corp., said industrial borrowers are starting to see signs of life in their businesses.

During a conference call April 29, Wehmer said that "many metal benders and other Wintrust manufacturing clients have watched their orders drop by 30 to 40 percent—in one case 45 percent—during the recession. Now their inventories have been 'drawn down to such a level that they're starting to see demand pick up a bit, Wehmer said.'"

According to the report, Wehmer has visited six clients in the past two weeks, "including several that had hunkered down by shutting production lines and laying off workers. Now, he said, they are starting to talk about investing in their businesses, partly to take advantage of opportunities as rivals struggle."