COPELCO Financial Services Group stock certificate specimen

Ornate company name serves as the vignette on this uncommon specimen stock cert.  Specimen certificates are samples and not issued as a security.

Founded in 1972 by Ian Berg, incorporated in 1982. The company owned Franklin Acceptance Corp. and ProCredit Inc.  Berg, who was born in Philadelphia and attended Overbrook High School, founded Copelco Financial Services Group in 1972 and served as its president and CEO until he left the company in the summer of 1999. Under Berg’s leadership, Copelco grew to more than $5 billion in assets, more than $500 million in revenue and 1,600 employees.

COPELCO provided leasing services to businesses.  In 2000, Citigroup purchased Copelco Capital, Inc., a leasing business, from Itochu International Inc. and III Holding Inc. (formerly known as Copelco Financial Services Group, Inc., referred to as “Itochu”) for $666 million.