GE Capital is back in aggressive mode. The business lender has funding in place for its Australian operation through to the end of 2011 and aims to grow its asset finance book.The managing director of corporate financial services at GE Capital, Alastair Metcalf, said the group saw opportunities in the middle market, working with companies looking for alternatives to dealing with capital-constrained banks.Speaking at yesterday's Corporate & Business Banking Forum in Sydney, Metcalf said: "We work with companies that are looking for loans starting at $10 or $20 million up to 100 million. We are a specialist asset-based lender and we aim to give more flexibility."He said that, while demand for business finance was still weak, there were plenty of companies in the middle market segment looking at expansion opportunities in 2011 and wanting to get finance in place for growth.GE's asset loans are structured as senior secured debt, secured by a fixed and floating charge over the business. Loan amounts are based on a formula - 90 per cent of accounts receivable, 65 per cent of inventories, and so on. Metcalf said: "It operates as a revolving facility, so as the business grows the company has the option of drawing down more. Our focus is on asset values, less on financial ratios of the accounting side of the balance sheet."A lot of companies had trouble with their banks in 2009, as they breached their EBITDA covenants."We expect asset-based lending to be in demand, because a lot of companies are finding that their metrics are still volatile. They need finance that is flexible."