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Peer Fund / Dealmaker·Specialty Finance

Aaron Levy

Managing Director, Specialty Finance at Monroe Capital LLC

Chicago, Illinois

AL
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Why they matter

Built and now runs Monroe Capital's new $1B+ aviation finance platform, giving him firsthand insight into structuring and pricing asset-backed aircraft lending.

Background

Aaron Levy is a Managing Director in Alternative Credit Solutions at Monroe Capital LLC, which he joined in 2024 to build out specialty/aviation finance. He holds a B.S. in Economics (Finance & Accounting) from The Wharton School, began his career in Raymond James' Restructuring and Recapitalization investment banking group, then spent roughly six years as a Vice President at Comvest Partners and later as a Managing Director/Principal at 777 Partners before a stint at a family office.

Notable deals

  • 2025
    Led Monroe Capital's side of a new joint venture with AIP Capital to acquire up to $1 billion in mid-life commercial aircraft on long-term leases to global airlines
  • 2026
    Commented on and helped close MCAV 2026-1, the Monroe-AIP venture's inaugural $643 million aircraft asset-backed securitization covering 18 aircraft across 12 lessees
  • 2024
    Co-plaintiff with two other former senior 777 Partners executives who won a breach-of-contract arbitration against the firm for $4,967,679.57 in unpaid benefits

Call-prep brief

Background

  • Wharton-trained (B.S. Economics, Finance & Accounting); started in Raymond James' restructuring group in NY.
  • Spent ~6 years at middle-market credit/PE firm Comvest Partners (VP), then joined 777 Partners in 2018, rising to Managing Director/Principal focused on specialty finance, insurance, aviation and consumer lending.
  • Bridged to a family office (MD level) before joining Monroe Capital in 2024 as Managing Director, Alternative Credit Solutions, based in Chicago.

Current focus

  • Spearheads Monroe's aviation/aircraft leasing push, including the Monroe–AIP Capital joint venture (up to $1B target) and its first securitization, MCAV 2026-1 ($643M, 18 aircraft, 12 lessees, 10 jurisdictions).
  • Broader specialty finance mandate covering asset-backed and structured credit across sectors Monroe is expanding into beyond traditional direct lending.

What he cares about

  • Asset quality and diversification in structured/ABS deals (lessee, jurisdiction, aircraft-age mix).
  • Building repeatable securitization platforms rather than one-off transactions.
  • Given his 777 Partners history, likely values counterparty transparency and clean deal structuring.

Potential sensitivities

  • 777 Partners collapsed into a UK winding-up order (Oct 2024) and its founders were later charged by the DOJ/SEC with a $500M+ fraud scheme; Levy left before the public collapse and is not named in the fraud charges, but he and two other former executives had to arbitrate against the firm to recover ~$5M in unpaid benefits — a topic to approach carefully, not as an accusation against him.
  • His resume has several short stops (777 → family office → Monroe); worth understanding his rationale for moving to Monroe and time horizon there.

Questions to ask

  1. How is the Monroe–AIP aviation JV sourcing and underwriting lessee credit risk differently from a typical direct-lending deal?
  2. What's the roadmap for follow-on securitizations after MCAV 2026-1 — same asset class or new specialty finance verticals?
  3. Given his 777 Partners tenure through its later specialty finance/insurance build-out, what lessons is he applying to risk controls and reporting at Monroe?

Outreach draft

Subject
Aviation ABS platform at Monroe — quick call?
Hi Aaron, I've been following Monroe Capital's build-out in aviation finance, especially the AIP Capital venture and the recent close of MCAV 2026-1. Your move from 777 Partners and direct lending into structured aircraft ABS is a compelling data point on where specialty finance is heading. I'm part of a deal team evaluating opportunities in asset-backed specialty lending and would value 20-30 minutes to hear how you're thinking about underwriting, lessee diversification, and where you see the next leg of growth in this platform. Would you be open to a short call in the next couple of weeks? Best, [Your Name]

Linked companies

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