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Listen Up: A Banker’s Reality Check for Corporates Tapping Credit Lines

By March 26, 2020April 16th, 2020No Comments

Societe Generale offers insights on bank pricing and priorities as companies seek cash safety.

Companies determined to bolster their balance sheets by tapping revolvers or looking for loans, take heed: Bankers will view some drawdowns and requests much more favorably than others, and it pays to understand the bank’s perspective.

  • That insight and others emerged during comments by Guido van Hauwermeiren, Societe Generale’s head of coverage and investment banking in the Americas. He spoke this week during NeuGroup’s Assistant Treasurers’ Group of Thirty virtual meeting, sponsored by SocGen.
  • The meeting took place against the backdrop of some 130 companies drawing down $124 billion in credit lines since March 1, according to the Financial Times.

Credit committee stress. Pent-up demand for new loans is stressing out bank credit committees, and that’s forcing bankers to pick who goes to the front of the line. As a result, Mr. van Hauwermeiren said, blue-chip companies that have funded long-term projects with short-term commercial paper (CP) may find banks unwilling to replace that inexpensive funding with a similarly priced loan.

  • “I’m not going to put requests from companies that have been financing project finance with CP on the top of the pile, or even in the pile,” he said.

Cash flow vs. buybacks. Client history will play a role in determining bank priorities. Companies with strong bank relationships that face disrupted cash flows or other types of financial duress can rely on the bank to do whatever possible. Those looking to fund share buybacks, less so.

  • “We’re saying there’s not enough money to go around, so you can’t do that,” Mr. van Hauwermeiren said.

Repairing and repricing. Revolving credit facilities (RCFs) have been the “lifeblood” for many companies, “but that system needs to be repaired, and I’m sure it will get repriced,” the SocGen banker said.

  •  Facilities priced between 30 and 45 basis points over LIBOR will likely see spreads widen to the 125 bps over Libor range, Mr. van Hauwermeiren said.

When to draw? An AT30 member asked if it was better to draw down a facility now, even if the company doesn’t need the liquidity, since it will face higher pricing anyway. Noting the new rules have yet to be written, Mr. van Hauwermeiren said he doesn’t foresee a stigma on corporates drawing down facilities, if it’s done the right way.

  • For example, he said, a highly rated company could request a new facility at the higher rate on top of its existing, inexpensively priced backstop, and promise to draw down only the new one if need arises. “That’s a sensible, relationship-type of play, and those borrowers will be viewed fondly,” he said.
Antony Michels

Author Antony Michels

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