Debt Finance Flashcards
What are the two classifications of debt finance?
- Loan facilities
- Debt facilities
What is a loan facility?
An agreement between a borrower and a lender which gives the borrower the right to borrow money set out on terms of agreement
What are 3 kinds of loan facility?
- Overdraft
- Term loan
- Revolving credit facility
What is an overdraft?
What can bank demand?
An on-demand facility where bank can call all money owed to it at any point in time and demand it is repaid immediately
Unsuitable for long term; interest paid on amount overdrawn
What is a term loan?
A loan for a fixed period of time repayable on a certain date - early repayment cannot be demanded unless borrower in breach of agreement
Interest paid throughout
Bullet repayment = repayable in single lump sum at end
Amortisation = loan repayable in instalments
What is a revolving credit facility? What is the advantage of using one?
Loan for specified period of time but can repeatedly borrow and re-pay loans up to the agreed maximum overall amount when it chooses - helps keep interest payment down for borrower (as only borrows when it needs to)
What are debt securities?
In return for finance provided by an investor, the company issues a security acknowledging the rights of the investor
- Security (piece of paper) acknowledges the debt - this can be kept/sold on
- At maturity date the value of the security will be paid to the holder
E.g. a bond - pays value of bond to holder at maturity and pays interest at particular periods - traded on the capital market
Why are convertible bonds and preference shares considered ‘debt/equity hybrids’?
Convertible bonds - bonds (debt) can be converted into shares (equity)
Preference shares - may have fixed maturity date on which company redeems/purchases share (looks like a debt)
What is a term sheet?
Debt finance document
A statement of key terms of a transaction - amount, interest rate, fees to be paid, events of default etc.
Equivalent to heads of terms
Not legally binding
What is a loan agreement?
Debt finance document
Sets out main commercial terms of a loan (amount, interest, dates on which interest paid, date principal repaid, fees due) - heavily negotiated
Most of information from term sheet but more detail
What might ‘debenture’ refer to?
- Any form of debt security issued by a company (bonds etc.)
- A type of security document most commonly used in secured loan transactions (sets out details of the security)
What is an event of default?
Breach of representation/undertaking gives bank contractual remedies where breach constitutes an event of default
What is a security?
Temporary ownership, possession or other proprietary interest in an asset to ensure a debt is repaid
Protects creditor in event borrower becomes insolvent
Can improve the priority of a debt
What is a pledge, lien, mortgage and charge?
- Pledge - physical possession and legal title e.g. high value assets
- Lien - physical possession no legal title e.g. mechanic repairing car
- Mortgage - no physical possession but legal title e.g. equity of redemption (creditor has to transfer back once repaid)
- Charge - no physical possession nor legal title e.g. equitable proprietary interest in favour of creditor (also has contractual rights over asset to take possessio back
Until a debt is repaid
What are the features of a fixed charge?
- Borrower can still use in ordinary course of business but cannot dispose/create a charge (creditor controls)
- Once enforceable = creditor has ability to appoint receiver of that asset/exercise power of sale of the asset
Machinery, vehicles
What are the features of a floating charge?
Floats over whole class of circulating assets - security provider free to dispose until crystallisation
What is crystallisation? When will it happen?
Floating charge stops floating and fixes to assets in relevant class owned by security provider at time (effectively becoming a fixed charge)
Crystallisation can occur by operation of law, be triggered by certain events as contractually agreed e.g. breach (inc by reason of insolvency)