<PAGE>
 
                  As filed with the Commission on May 5, 1998

                                                   Registration No. 333-________
================================================================================
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549
                           ------------------------
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     Under
                           The Securities Act of 1933
                           ------------------------
                             HELLER FINANCIAL, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


          Delaware                                      36-1208070
-------------------------------             ------------------------------------
(State or other jurisdiction of             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)
 
        500 West Monroe Street
          Chicago, Illinois                               60661
        ----------------------                            -----
(Address of principal executive offices)                (zip code)

            Heller Financial, Inc. 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

                           (Full title of the Plan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Debra H. Snider, Esq.
            Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer
                         General Counsel and Secretary
                            Heller Financial, Inc.
                            500 West Monroe Street
                            Chicago, Illinois, 60661
                           ------------------------
                    (Name and address of agent for service)
 
                                (312) 441-7000
                           ------------------------
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
 
                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
====================================================================================================================================
                                                                 Proposed maximum         Proposed maximum
        Title of securities                 Amount to be          offering price         aggregate offering          Amount of
        to be registered (1)               registered (1)         per share (2)              price (2)            registration fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                       <C>                      <C>                      <C>                      <C> 
Class A Common Stock, $.25 par value      1,500,000 shares         $30.59375                $45,890,625.00           $13,537.74
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

(1)  Pursuant to Rule 416(a), this Registration Statement shall be deemed to
     cover any additional shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $.25 per
     share, which may be offered pursuant to the Heller Financial, Inc. Stock
     Purchase Plan.
(2)  Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant
     to Rule 457(h) on the basis of the average high and low prices reported for
     shares of Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on May
     1, 1998, which was $30.59375.

                                STOCK PURCHASE
                                       8

<PAGE>
 
                                    PART I

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8
will be sent or given to participating employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1)
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). These
documents and the documents incorporated by reference into this Registration
Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken
together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a)
of the Securities Act.
 
                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.    Incorporation of Documents by Reference

     Heller Financial, Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates the following
documents herein by reference:

     (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 
December 31, 1997; and

     (b)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended 
December 31, 1997; and

     (c)  The Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on
January 6, 1998, January 29, 1998, January 31, 1998, February 20, 1998, 
February 28, 1998 and April 21, 1998; and

     (d)  The description of the Company's Class A Common Stock, $.25 par value
per share, contained in the "Description of Capital Stock" section of the
Company's registration statement on Form S-2, file no. 333-46915, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 26, 1998, including
any subsequent amendments thereto or any report or other filing with the SEC
updating such description.

     In addition, all documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this
Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to
this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby
have been sold or which deregisters all such securities then remaining unsold
shall be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents.

     Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement
contained herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is or is
deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such
statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed,
except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration
Statement.

Item 4.   Description of Securities

     Not Applicable.
<PAGE>
 
Item 5.   Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

     None

Item 6.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers

     The Company is a Delaware corporation. Reference is made to Section 145 of
the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the "GCL"), which provides
that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is
threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than
an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that
such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation,
or is or was serving at its request in such capacity of another corporation or
business organization, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments,
fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such
person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted
in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interest of the corporation, and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that such
person's conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify officers and
directors in any action by or in the right of a corporation under the same
conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial
approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.
Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the
defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him
against the expenses (including attorneys' fees) that such officer or director
actually and reasonably incurred.

     Reference is also made to Section 102(b)(7) of the GCL, which permits a
corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of
the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its
stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the
corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or
which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under
Section 174 of the GCL or (iv) for any transaction from which the director
derived an improper personal benefit.

     The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
provides for the elimination of personal liability of a director for breach of
fiduciary duty as permitted by Section 102(b)(7) of the GCL and the Amended and
Restated By-Laws of the Company provide that the Company shall indemnify its
directors and officers to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the GCL.

     The Company intends to maintain directors and officers liability insurance
that insures the directors and officers of the Company against certain
liabilities.

Item 7.   Exemption From Registration Claimed

     Not Applicable.

Item 8.    Exhibits

     A list of exhibits is set forth on the Index to Exhibits.

Item 9.   Undertakings

     (a)  The undersigned Company hereby undertakes:

          (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
     made of the securities registered hereby, a post-effective amendment to
     this Registration Statement:

               (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
          the Securities Act;

               (ii)  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
          after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most
          recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
          aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
          in this Registration Statement; 

                                STOCK PURCHASE
                                       9

<PAGE>
 
               (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
          plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration
          Statement or any material change to such information in this
          Registration Statement;

     provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section
     do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form
     F-3, and the information required to be included in a post-effective
     amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with
     or furnished to the SEC by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or Section
     15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this
     Registration Statement.

          (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
     Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a
     new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and
     the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
     initial bona fide offering thereof.

          (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective 
     amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
     termination of the offering.

     (b)  The undersigned Company hereby further undertakes that, for purposes
of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Company's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of the annual report of the
employee benefit plans pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

     (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company
has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against
public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid
by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful
defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer
or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the
Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled
by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the
question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as
expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication
of such issue.

<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Company certifies
that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements
for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City
of Chicago, Illinois on the 1st day of May, 1998.


                                       HELLER FINANCIAL, INC.

                                       By: /s/ Richard J. Almeida
                                          ______________________________________
                                       Richard J. Almeida
                                       Chairman of the Board and
                                       Chief Executive Officer

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Lauralee E. Martin, Debra H. Snider and Mark J.
Ohringer and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone), his
true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments)
to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto
and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do
and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in
and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or
could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all said attorneys-in-fact
and agents, or any of them, or their substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration
Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.


Signature                              Title                     Date
_______________________    ______________________________    ____________


/s/ Richard J. Almeida     Chairman of the Board and         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Chief Executive Officer
Richard J. Almeida         (Principal Executive Officer)


/s/ Lauralee E. Martin     Executive Vice President,         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Chief Financial Officer and
Lauralee E. Martin         Director (Principal Financial
                           Officer)


/s/ Lawrence G. Hund       Executive Vice President and      May 1, 1998
_______________________    Controller (Principal
Lawrence G. Hund           Accounting Officer)


/s/ Michael J. Litwin      Executive Vice President,         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Chief Credit Officer and
Michael J. Litwin          Director


/s/ Kenichiro Tanaka       Executive Vice President and      May 1, 1998
_______________________    Director
Kenichiro Tanaka


/s/ Masahiro Sawada        Senior Vice President and         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Director
Masahiro Sawada


/s/ Dennis P. Lockhart     Director                          May 1, 1998
_______________________
Dennis P. Lockhart
<PAGE>
 

/s/ Atsushi Takano       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Atsushi Takano


/s/ Yukihiko Chayama     Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Yukihiko Chayama


/s/ Kenichi Tomita       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Kenichi Tomita


/s/ Takeshi Takahashi    Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Takeshi Takahashi


/s/ Tsutomu Hayano       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Tsutomu Hayano


/s/ Osamu Ogura          Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Osamu Ogura


/s/ Mark Kessel          Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Mark Kessel


/s/ Hideo Nakajima       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Hideo Nakajima
<PAGE>
 
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------


     Exhibit
     Number                                Description
     ------                                -----------

     4.1.        Heller Financial, Inc. 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
                 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10. 34 of the
                 Company's registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     4.2         Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the
                 Company (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the
                 Company's registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     4.3         Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Company (incorporated
                 herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company's
                 registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     4.4         The description of the Company's Class A Common Stock, $.25 par
                 value per share (incorporated herein by reference to the
                 "Description of Capital Stock" section of the Company's
                 registration statement on Form S-2, file no. 333-46915, as
                 amended)

     4.5         Specimen stock certificate representing Class A Common Stock
                 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4 of the Company's
                 registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     23.1        Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

     24.1        Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page hereof)
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 19401}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "HELLER FINANCIAL INC", "cik": "0000046738", "assigned-sic": "6153", "irs-number": "361208070", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-51833", "film-number": "98610203"}, "business-address": {"street1": "500 W MONROE ST", "city": "CHICAGO", "state": "IL", "zip": "60661", "phone": "3124417000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "500 W MONROE ST", "city": "CHICAGO", "state": "IL", "zip": "60661"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "HELLER WALTER E & CO /NEW/", "date-changed": "19850503"}}
As filed with the Commission on May 5, 1998

                                                   Registration No. 333-________
================================================================================
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549
                           ------------------------
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     Under
                           The Securities Act of 1933
                           ------------------------
                             HELLER FINANCIAL, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

          Delaware                                      36-1208070
-------------------------------             ------------------------------------
(State or other jurisdiction of             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)
 
        500 West Monroe Street
          Chicago, Illinois                               60661
        ----------------------                            -----
(Address of principal executive offices)                (zip code)

            Heller Financial, Inc. 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

                           (Full title of the Plan)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Debra H. Snider, Esq.
            Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer
                         General Counsel and Secretary
                            Heller Financial, Inc.
                            500 West Monroe Street
                            Chicago, Illinois, 60661
                           ------------------------
                    (Name and address of agent for service)
 
                                (312) 441-7000
                           ------------------------
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
 
                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
====================================================================================================================================
                                                                 Proposed maximum         Proposed maximum
        Title of securities                 Amount to be          offering price         aggregate offering          Amount of
        to be registered (1)               registered (1)         per share (2)              price (2)            registration fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock, $.25 par value      1,500,000 shares         $30.59375                $45,890,625.00           $13,537.74
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)  Pursuant to Rule 416(a), this Registration Statement shall be deemed to
     cover any additional shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $.25 per
     share, which may be offered pursuant to the Heller Financial, Inc. Stock
     Purchase Plan.
(2)  Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant
     to Rule 457(h) on the basis of the average high and low prices reported for
     shares of Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on May
     1, 1998, which was $30.59375.

                                STOCK PURCHASE
                                       8
PART I

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8
will be sent or given to participating employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1)
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). These
documents and the documents incorporated by reference into this Registration
Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken
together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a)
of the Securities Act.
 
                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.    Incorporation of Documents by Reference

     Heller Financial, Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates the following
documents herein by reference:

     (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 
December 31, 1997; and

     (b)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended 
December 31, 1997; and

     (c)  The Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on
January 6, 1998, January 29, 1998, January 31, 1998, February 20, 1998, 
February 28, 1998 and April 21, 1998; and

     (d)  The description of the Company's Class A Common Stock, $.25 par value
per share, contained in the "Description of Capital Stock" section of the
Company's registration statement on Form S-2, file no. 333-46915, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 26, 1998, including
any subsequent amendments thereto or any report or other filing with the SEC
updating such description.

     In addition, all documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this
Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to
this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby
have been sold or which deregisters all such securities then remaining unsold
shall be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents.

     Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement
contained herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is or is
deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such
statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed,
except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration
Statement.

Item 4.   Description of Securities

     Not Applicable.
Item 5.   Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

     None

Item 6.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers

     The Company is a Delaware corporation. Reference is made to Section 145 of
the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the "GCL"), which provides
that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is
threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than
an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that
such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation,
or is or was serving at its request in such capacity of another corporation or
business organization, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments,
fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such
person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted
in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interest of the corporation, and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that such
person's conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify officers and
directors in any action by or in the right of a corporation under the same
conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial
approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.
Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the
defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him
against the expenses (including attorneys' fees) that such officer or director
actually and reasonably incurred.

     Reference is also made to Section 102(b)(7) of the GCL, which permits a
corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of
the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its
stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the
corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or
which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under
Section 174 of the GCL or (iv) for any transaction from which the director
derived an improper personal benefit.

     The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
provides for the elimination of personal liability of a director for breach of
fiduciary duty as permitted by Section 102(b)(7) of the GCL and the Amended and
Restated By-Laws of the Company provide that the Company shall indemnify its
directors and officers to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the GCL.

     The Company intends to maintain directors and officers liability insurance
that insures the directors and officers of the Company against certain
liabilities.

Item 7.   Exemption From Registration Claimed

     Not Applicable.

Item 8.    Exhibits

     A list of exhibits is set forth on the Index to Exhibits.

Item 9.   Undertakings

     (a)  The undersigned Company hereby undertakes:

          (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
     made of the securities registered hereby, a post-effective amendment to
     this Registration Statement:

               (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
          the Securities Act;

               (ii)  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
          after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most
          recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
          aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
          in this Registration Statement; 

                                STOCK PURCHASE
                                       9
(iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
          plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration
          Statement or any material change to such information in this
          Registration Statement;

     provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section
     do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form
     F-3, and the information required to be included in a post-effective
     amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with
     or furnished to the SEC by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or Section
     15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this
     Registration Statement.

          (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
     Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a
     new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and
     the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
     initial bona fide offering thereof.

          (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective 
     amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
     termination of the offering.

     (b)  The undersigned Company hereby further undertakes that, for purposes
of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Company's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of the annual report of the
employee benefit plans pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

     (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company
has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against
public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid
by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful
defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer
or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the
Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled
by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the
question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as
expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication
of such issue.
SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Company certifies
that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements
for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City
of Chicago, Illinois on the 1st day of May, 1998.

                                       HELLER FINANCIAL, INC.

                                       By: /s/ Richard J. Almeida
                                          ______________________________________
                                       Richard J. Almeida
                                       Chairman of the Board and
                                       Chief Executive Officer

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Lauralee E. Martin, Debra H. Snider and Mark J.
Ohringer and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone), his
true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments)
to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto
and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do
and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in
and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or
could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all said attorneys-in-fact
and agents, or any of them, or their substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration
Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.

Signature                              Title                     Date
_______________________    ______________________________    ____________

/s/ Richard J. Almeida     Chairman of the Board and         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Chief Executive Officer
Richard J. Almeida         (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Lauralee E. Martin     Executive Vice President,         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Chief Financial Officer and
Lauralee E. Martin         Director (Principal Financial
                           Officer)

/s/ Lawrence G. Hund       Executive Vice President and      May 1, 1998
_______________________    Controller (Principal
Lawrence G. Hund           Accounting Officer)

/s/ Michael J. Litwin      Executive Vice President,         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Chief Credit Officer and
Michael J. Litwin          Director

/s/ Kenichiro Tanaka       Executive Vice President and      May 1, 1998
_______________________    Director
Kenichiro Tanaka

/s/ Masahiro Sawada        Senior Vice President and         May 1, 1998
_______________________    Director
Masahiro Sawada

/s/ Dennis P. Lockhart     Director                          May 1, 1998
_______________________
Dennis P. Lockhart
/s/ Atsushi Takano       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Atsushi Takano

/s/ Yukihiko Chayama     Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Yukihiko Chayama

/s/ Kenichi Tomita       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Kenichi Tomita

/s/ Takeshi Takahashi    Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Takeshi Takahashi

/s/ Tsutomu Hayano       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Tsutomu Hayano

/s/ Osamu Ogura          Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Osamu Ogura

/s/ Mark Kessel          Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Mark Kessel

/s/ Hideo Nakajima       Director                        May 1, 1998
______________________
Hideo Nakajima
EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------

     Exhibit
     Number                                Description
     ------                                -----------

     4.1.        Heller Financial, Inc. 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
                 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10. 34 of the
                 Company's registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     4.2         Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the
                 Company (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the
                 Company's registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     4.3         Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Company (incorporated
                 herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company's
                 registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     4.4         The description of the Company's Class A Common Stock, $.25 par
                 value per share (incorporated herein by reference to the
                 "Description of Capital Stock" section of the Company's
                 registration statement on Form S-2, file no. 333-46915, as
                 amended)

     4.5         Specimen stock certificate representing Class A Common Stock
                 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4 of the Company's
                 registration statement number 333-46915, as amended)

     23.1        Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

     24.1        Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page hereof)