Pathgroup recapitalization

Brentwood-based PathGroup Inc. has announced a $100MM recap, under direction of West End-based Brentwood Capital Advisors, which apparently used its $15MM Brentwood Capital Partners fund to help pull off the deal, which also involved BCA's frequent collaborator, Primus Capital Funds, as well as Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank and Chicago's Maranon Capital. BCA's filing last summer indicated the firm hoped to raise $25MM for its sidecar fund.

5/3rds new PE lending unit

Fifth Third Bancorp (Nasdaq: FITB) has formed a private-equity lending unit, Fifth Third Sponsor Leveraged Finance,to provide cash flow financings to PE clients, typically businesses with $10 million to $50 million in EBITDA. Release here.

Regions ups Healthcare banking ante

With an earlier bankerly quiet period apparently now ended, Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF) formally announced Wednesday John Barton in Nashville will lead the bank's expanding healthcare practice. Barton was previously in a similar role with SunTrust. Word had leaked back in March. Earlier, Barton was with Third National and CRC Equities. Until recently, Fifth Third's Kevin Lavender (at left) has held virtually uncontested the most visible healthcare lending role in Nashville, and his bank has made a number of notable healthcare alliances and was an early supporter of the Medical Banking Project.