O2 Sponsor Finance provides Senior Secured Credit Facilities to Support Paceline Equity Partners and Serata Capital Partners in their Acquisition of EventLink Group

Rhea-AI Summary

O2 Sponsor Finance (NASDAQ:OSBC) served as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger of senior secured credit facilities to support Paceline Equity Partners and Serata Capital Partners in their acquisition of EventLink Group on December 1, 2025.

EventLink, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan, provides planning, execution and measurement of complex experiential events for enterprise clients across automotive, government, adult beverage, sports & entertainment and healthcare sectors. EventLink's management team remains in place and will continue to lead the business.

Positive

• Senior secured credit facilities arranged to fund acquisition
• O2 acted as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger
• EventLink management retained to continue operating post-acquisition
• EventLink business founded 2009 and headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan

Negative

• None.

News Market Reaction

+0.90%

1 alert

+0.90% News Effect

On the day this news was published, OSBC gained 0.90%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

EventLink founding year: 2009 Relationship length: 8 years

2 metrics

EventLink founding year 2009 Year EventLink was founded

Relationship length 8 years Length of O2/Old Second relationship with EventLink

Market Reality Check

Price: $19.98 Vol: Volume 293,457 is in line...

normal vol

$19.98 Last Close

Volume Volume 293,457 is in line with the 20-day average of 292,671 ahead of this news. normal

Technical Price at $20.63 is trading above the 200-day MA of $17.42 and near the 52-week high of $20.52.

Peers on Argus

OSBC was up 3.08% while peers showed mixed moves, from -0.99% (BRKL) to +1.80% (...

OSBC was up 3.08% while peers showed mixed moves, from -0.99% (BRKL) to +1.80% (NBN), suggesting more stock-specific strength than a broad sector move.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 01 (Neutral)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 01	Acquisition financing	Neutral	+0.9%	O2 Sponsor Finance arranged senior secured credit for EventLink acquisition.
Oct 22	Earnings release	Negative	-0.5%	Q3 2025 earnings fell versus prior quarter and year, impacted by acquisition.
Oct 20	Integration milestone	Positive	+4.0%	Completed Evergreen Bank Group integration and brand conversion into Old Second.
Sep 08	Acquisition financing	Neutral	+0.5%	O2 Sponsor Finance backed SFEP’s majority acquisition of Formula Corp.
Jul 23	Earnings and M&A	Positive	-4.4%	Strong Q2 2025 metrics and Bancorp Financial closing, yet shares fell on the day.

Pattern Detected

Recent news reactions mostly aligned with the qualitative tone, with one notable divergence on a prior strong earnings report that saw a negative price move.

Recent Company History

Over the last six months, OSBC combined acquisitions and integration milestones with steady sponsor finance activity. The Bancorp Financial deal and Evergreen integration expanded assets and footprint, while O2 Sponsor Finance repeatedly provided senior secured credit facilities for sponsor-led buyouts. Earnings in Q2 2025 were strong but the stock fell 4.41%, whereas softer Q3 2025 earnings saw only a modest -0.5% move. Today’s EventLink financing continues the pattern of O2-backed acquisition support.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights O2 Sponsor Finance’s role in arranging senior secured credit facilities...

Analysis

This announcement highlights O2 Sponsor Finance’s role in arranging senior secured credit facilities to back Paceline Equity Partners and Serata Capital Partners in acquiring EventLink. It extends a long-standing 8-year relationship with EventLink and reinforces OSBC’s sponsor finance franchise alongside earlier 2025 acquisition and integration milestones. Investors may watch how recurring sponsor-led buyouts, balance sheet growth from prior deals, and subsequent earnings trends interact over time.

Key Terms

senior secured credit facilities, administrative agent, co-lead arranger, experiential marketing

4 terms

senior secured credit facilities financial

"served as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger of senior secured credit facilities"

Senior secured credit facilities are loans or lines of credit that a company borrows where lenders have first claim on specified assets if the company cannot pay back its debts. Think of it like a mortgage on a house: the bank holds the deed (collateral) and gets paid before other creditors, which usually makes the loan cheaper for the borrower. Investors watch these arrangements because they affect a company’s cost of borrowing, financial risk, and how available assets are prioritized if the company faces financial trouble.

administrative agent financial

"it served as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger of senior secured credit facilities"

An administrative agent is a bank or financial firm appointed to handle the day-to-day paperwork and communication for a group of lenders on a loan or credit agreement, acting as the central point for collecting payments, distributing funds, monitoring covenants, and sharing information. For investors, the administrative agent matters because it influences how quickly lenders receive updates, how smoothly repayments and waivers are handled, and how effectively the lending group enforces terms — think of it as a property manager coordinating tasks for multiple owners.

co-lead arranger financial

"served as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger of senior secured credit facilities"

A co-lead arranger is one of two or more banks that jointly organize a large loan by negotiating terms, pooling participating lenders, and coordinating paperwork and timing. Think of them as co-organizers of a group purchase: they shape the deal, share responsibility for finding other lenders, and influence the interest rate and repayment rules, so their involvement affects a borrower’s cost of capital and the risk profile investors should expect.

experiential marketing technical

"role that they play in creating and executing the experiential marketing events"

Experiential marketing is creating live, hands-on interactions—events, demonstrations, pop-up stores or immersive experiences—that let customers try a product or feel a brand rather than just see an ad. For investors, it matters because these direct interactions can boost sales, customer loyalty and word-of-mouth, act like a long-term investment in a brand’s reputation, and produce measurable engagement signals that help predict future revenue growth.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / December 1, 2025 / O2 Sponsor Finance, a division of Old Second National Bank (NASDAQ:OSBC), has had a very busy second-half of 2025 with significant new financing activity. O2 Sponsor Finance announced today that it served as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger of senior secured credit facilities to support Paceline Equity Partners, LLC and Serata Capital Partners, LLC in their acquisition of EventLink Group ("EventLink").

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan, EventLink is focused on planning, executing and measuring high-value, complex events for major brands and their agency partners. EventLink's management team has served a blue-chip client base for over three decades, encompassing Fortune 500 and other enterprise clients across the automotive, government, adult beverage, sports & entertainment and healthcare sectors. EventLink's management team remains in place and continues to lead the business. To learn more, please visit www.eventlinkgroup.com.

"We have enjoyed a long-time 8-year relationship with EventLink though our prior lending groups and here at Old Second. We have witnessed the key role that they play in creating and executing the experiential marketing events they host for their blue-chip clients over the years. We are excited to support Paceline Equity Partners and Serata Capital Partners in their acquisition of EventLink," said Thom Karle, Senior Vice President, O2 Sponsor Finance.

About Paceline Equity Partners: Paceline is a Dallas-based private equity manager focused on value-oriented, opportunistic, and special situations investments across corporate credit, private equity, and real assets. Paceline's senior leadership team has worked together for nearly 20 years and manages over $1.5 billion in equity commitments on behalf of a global investor base. To learn more, please visit www.pacelineequity.com.

About Serata Capital Partners: Serata is a middle-market private equity firm based in Austin, Texas with a mission to create partnerships that build real, lasting value for business owners, employees, and investors. Serata seeks to partner with companies across the broader B2B services and consumer products spaces with $4 to $15 million of EBITDA and a true willingness to strategically partner toward growth, as exhibited by operational continuity and heavy rollover investment. To learn more, please visit www.seratacapital.com.

About O2 Sponsor Finance: O2 Sponsor Finance is a national provider of cash flow-based loans to lower middle market businesses with typically $10 to $100 million in revenue and between $2 million and $10 million in EBITDA. O2 Sponsor Finance focuses on supporting private equity sponsors, independent sponsors and family offices in their acquisition or recapitalization of lower middle market companies. www.O2sponsorfinance.com.

About Old Second Bancorp, Inc.: Old Second Bancorp, Inc., headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, is the bank holding company for Old Second National Bank, which celebrated 150 years of operation in 2021. Old Second's common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol "OSBC". More information about Old Second is available by visiting the "Investor Relations" section of its website: www.oldsecond.com.

As of September 30, 2025, Old Second has approximately $7.0 billion in assets, $5.7 billion in deposits and $5.2 billion in loans.

Old Second National Bank, Member FDIC.

Contact:
Bradley S. Adams EVP, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer (630) 906-5484

SOURCE: Old Second Bancorp Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

What did O2 Sponsor Finance (OSBC) announce on December 1, 2025?

O2 Sponsor Finance announced it served as Administrative Agent and Co-Lead Arranger of senior secured credit facilities supporting the acquisition of EventLink Group.

Who are the buyers in the EventLink Group acquisition linked to OSBC?

The buyers are Paceline Equity Partners and Serata Capital Partners.

Will EventLink management remain after the acquisition funded by OSBC?

Yes, EventLink's management team remains in place and will continue to lead the business.

Where is EventLink Group headquartered and when was it founded?

EventLink is headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan and was founded in 2009.

What services does EventLink Group provide according to the announcement?

EventLink focuses on planning, executing and measuring high-value, complex experiential events for enterprise clients.

Does the announcement disclose the size or pricing of the credit facilities arranged by OSBC?

No, the announcement does not disclose the size or pricing of the senior secured credit facilities.