There are many reasons you may want to raise money for your company, among them:

• Fund organic growth or strategic acquisitions;
• Provide a dividend to balance your concentration of wealth between your company and investments held as an individual; and
• Allow for your “Next Generation” or management team to buy into the business for fair value

Your company is valuable and has strong quality of earnings.  Your bank doesn’t “see it” and is limiting capital availability to a percentage of asset coverage AND they want a personal guarantee.

Why can’t you obtain funding the way Private Equity players do; just wave a magic wand and have money go from your pocket to their pocket and back to you?

You CAN raise capital just like private equity players do, without giving up equity ownership in your business.  There is no magic or genius to it; just having someone to guide you through the process of raising money on the private capital markets.

What are the Private Capital Markets?

Many CEOs believe that commercial banks are THE sole source of debt capital for their companies.  This was never true, and ignores an enormous shift in capital availability since “The Great Recession”.

Prior to The Great Recession, commercial banks became aggressive in their lending practices and bets  for their own investment accounts.  When such banks had reality bite in the recession, it threatened the national – and international – economy.  YOU, as a taxpayer to the US government bailed out the banks.  The expectation among such banks that they will be bailed out is called “Moral Hazard”.

Regulations were placed on commercial banks to prevent another melt-down and discourage moral hazard.

• The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“the “OCC”) and the FDIC established “Leverage Guidelines”
  • Generally limited commercial banks’ capacity to lend (no more than 3X LTM EBITDA)
  • Enforced higher fixed amortization rates (~10%-15% per annum)

For every action there is a reaction.  In this case, the reaction was the creation of several types alternative “non-bank” commercial lenders that have more than reached critical mass.  There are now over 5,000 such lenders and they comprise approximately 50% of the private debt capital available to corporate borrowers.  These lenders take various forms and include:

• Credit Opportunity Funds
• Business Development Companies (“BDCs”)
• Insurance Companies
• Non-Bank Direct Lenders
• Family Offices

Commercial Banks vs. Institutional Alternative Lenders

Fundamentally, raising capital from commercial banks and alternative lenders is identical.  Risk/credit analysis is performed, financings are accepted or rejected.  The debt is “priced”.  Due diligence is completed and loan documentation is put in place to close the deal.

The critical differences today between commercial banks and alternative lenders involves the risk each can take on and the repayment terms they can offer.

As a general proposition, non-bank lenders

• Tend to be much more comfortable with “cash-flow” lending, and are not limited to   “asset-based facilities” or other measures of the value of the borrower’s collateral
• Maybe a little more expensive than commercial banks,
  • but have less stringent fixed amortization (1%-7% per annum)
  • looser covenants
  • more generous leverage multiples (4X LTM EBITDA) and
  • no need for personal guarantees
• The transaction process itself is quite similar to the way a bank approves a loan
  • They receive an offering memorandum, perform their own credit review and engage counsel to document the deal
• When professionally presented, the transaction process should take 8-12 weeks

Accessing the market

Alternative institutional lenders generally require some minimum deal size to have interest in a transaction.  $10 million as a minimum amount is generally a good rule of thumb.  Accordingly, accessing the entire breadth of capital providers is for companies that are at least mid-sized – $3 mil to $5 mil in EBITDA.  For companies that do not meet this threshold, commercial banks are probably the best capital source.  The best way to create more options for your company is to GROW PROFITABLY.

When approaching the private capital markets, all options should be explored; bank and non-bank lenders should be given the opportunity to compete for your business.  More than one structure for raising capital is usually available.  These alternatives can be CRAFTED TO MEET THE VERY SPECIFIC FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL GOALS of you and your company.

Once you broaden the horizon of potential capital sources, it is important to determine the type of deal that is best for you.  The types of debt capital that can be made available include:

• Senior Revolving Credit facilities,
• Terms Loans;
• Mezzanine Securities – instruments that are “junior” or “subordinate” to senior debt
• “Unitranche” Facilities- all senior facilities that provide senior and sub debt in one instrument.
• Asset-based  or Cash flow facilities
• Unique “structured” facilities—debt repaid through a specific contract or asset’s cash flow

It may wind up that the best deal for you and your company is from a bank; or they may take part of the deal.  It may be that several non-bank lenders provide the best solution or that one non-bank lender provides the best opportunity.

Determining the optimal alternative structures for you and your company and allowing the market to compete for the deal is the best way to obtain the most advantageous result.

Process of accessing the market

Accessing the private capital markets is not magical nor does it require genius.  It does require guidance from professionals who know:

• How to analyze your commercial & financial needs and craft alternatives to raise capital to meet those needs
• Groups of lenders in each of several categories that want to participate with your company in the various alternative financing scenarios you are exploring
• How to create a competitive process for potential capital providers to partner with your company so there is an opportunity to negotiate the best possible
  • Rates
  • Terms
  • Covenants
  • Amortization schedules

Experience and diligence, not magic or genius, are what will get you the money you need in the structure you need it.

Approaching this discussion is not about over-levering your company and putting it, and your personal wealth, at risk.  Rather, mitigating and diminishing your risk by getting money out of your company to balance your risk; investing capital in organic growth or acquisitions that will yield an ROI of more than 2x your borrowing costs, or; allowing family members or management to buy into your business, and thus stabilizing it long term are goals deserving of your attention.

This overview covers many points that each deserve dozens of pages of explanation.  Should you wish to take a next step in exploring opportunities your company may have to raise capital, please reach out to me at mtaffet@mastadvisors.com.