by George Parker
Last year marked the fourth straight year of recovery for the U.S. equipment leasing industry. A robust U.S. economy led many manufacturers and service companies to continue investing in new equipment, benefiting equipment lease providers. Although economic activity demonstrated relative strength, the U.S. economy shows signs of slowing and equipment leasing companies are reacting. What do these developments portend for companies looking for equipment leases?
Anyone in the business of 
Understanding the various terms and conditions of a lease contract before you sign can save you a lot of heartache and money in the long run. Those business owners who have never leased equipment may think the contract is just a formality and that their only obligation is to make the lease payments on time. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Many business people don't know that equipment leases can be negotiated. They do a quick read-through of the contract, see that the monthly payments are what was represented, and sign where indicated. Not carefully reviewing each paragraph of the agreement can be costly. Long, drawn-out contracts are often developed by leasing companies to gain added revenues and advantages for themselves. Consequently, in this situation, it is to the detriment of the lessee. 
The amount of equipment that is financed by leasing continues to grow. In fact, a staggering $600 billion of total investment in 2006 was originated in this manner. A major segment in our economy that is dependent on leasing programs is the