Asset-based lending

Abstract: This paper examines the recent banking crises in Finland, Norway and Sweden in an attempt to draw some policy conclusions from their experiences. In all three countries, the timing of deregulation coincided with a strongly expansionary macroeconomic momentum. Delayed policy responses, as well as structural characteristics of the financial systems, and banks’ inadequate internal risk management controls were important determinants of the consequences of the transition from tightly regulated to more or less competitive financial systems. In the absence of strengthened prudential banking supervision, these incentives coupled with expectations of government intervention in the event of a crisis prompted many Nordic banks to increase their lending excessively.

Abstract: We provide evidence that transactions accounts help financial intermediaries monitor borrowers by offering lenders a continuous stream of data on borrowers' account balances. This information is most readily available to commercial banks, but other intermediaries, such as finance companies, also have access to such information at a cost. Using a unique set of data that includes monthly and annual information on small-business borrowers at an anonymous Canadian bank, we provide empirical evidence that transactions account information helps the bank to monitor commercial borrowers' operating loans and we show the direct mechanism through which an intermediary can use this information in monitoring and controlling moral hazard problems associated with a rising probability of bankruptcy.

Abstract: This paper presents details of financial covenants given by a sample drawn from the largest 200 non-financial quoted firms in the UK in private debt contracts and analyses these data to see whether there are relationships between the nature of the covenants given and firm characteristics. Data were obtained from 72 firms, of which 17 gave no financial covenants. Firm size was found to be the only significant factor influencing whether firms did or did not give covenants as well as the only factor which influenced the margin given on debt. Some types of covenants given were found to be different from those found in previous research. In particular, there is greater use of EBITDA as a base for both interest cover and gearing covenants. This shows the importance of cash flow based lending as opposed to asset based lending for general financing for large firms.

Abstract: In an automated asset based lending (ABL) system, a method of enabling the client and the financial institution to automate reconciliation of deposit data against a borrowing base, the method comprising receiving cash application data from the client, receiving deposit data from the client and matching the deposit data to a client ledger, the deposit data including a deposit amount, identifying the client and identifying a client bank account, the client ledger including draws, cash applications and invoices, denoting the deposit amount as unapplied cash, determining a minimum immediate refund amount, the refund amount corresponding to non-funded cash, matching the deposit amount to cash applications and creating cash applications against the invoices, the cash application corresponding to the deposit amount, and applying a balance remaining from the deposit amount to at least one draw and/or recovery account, wherein the balance is applied to the oldest draw and/or recovery account available.