EXPLAINER: Main Street Expanded Loan Facility from April 9, 2020
Posted on 04/09/2020
Main Street Expanded Loan Facility
Information is from the U.S. Federal Reserve from April 9, 2020.
Effective April 9, 2020 (1)
Program
The Main Street Expanded Loan Facility (“Facility”), which has been authorized under section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, is intended to facilitate lending to small and medium-sized businesses by Eligible Lenders. Under the Facility and the Main Street New Loan Facility (“MSNLF”), a Federal Reserve Bank (“Reserve Bank”) will commit to lend to a single common special purpose vehicle (“SPV”) on a recourse basis. The SPV will purchase 95% participations in the upsized tranche of Eligible Loans from Eligible Lenders. Eligible Lenders would retain 5% of the upsized tranche of each Eligible Loan. The Department of the Treasury, using funds appropriated to the Exchange Stabilization Fund under section 4027 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), will make a $75 billion equity investment in the single common SPV in connection with the Facility and the MSNLF. The combined size of the Facility and the MSNLF will be up to $600 billion.
Eligible Lenders
Eligible Lenders are U.S. insured depository institutions, U.S. bank holding companies, and U.S. savings and loan holding companies.
Eligible Borrowers
Eligible Borrowers are businesses with up to 10,000 employees or up to $2.5 billion in 2019 annual revenues. Each Eligible Borrower must be a business that is created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States with significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States. Eligible Borrowers that participate in the Facility may not also participate in the MSNLF or the Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility.
Eligible Loans
An Eligible Loan is a term loan made by an Eligible Lender(s) to an Eligible Borrower that was originated before April 8, 2020, provided that the upsized tranche of the loan has the following features:
1.4 year maturity;
2.Amortization of principal and interest deferred for one year;
3.Adjustable rate of SOFR + 250-400 basis points;
4.Minimum loan size of $1 million;
5.Maximum loan size that is the lesser of (i) $150 million, (ii) 30% of the Eligible Borrower’s existing outstanding and committed but undrawn bank debt, or (iii) an amount that, when added to the Eligible Borrower’s existing outstanding and committed but undrawn debt, does not exceed six times the Eligible Borrower’s 2019 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“EBITDA”); and
6.Prepayment permitted without penalty.
Loan Participations
The SPV will purchase a 95% participation in the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan, provided that it is upsized on or after April 8, 2020, at par value. The SPV and the Eligible Lender will share risk in the upsized tranche on a pari passu basis. Any collateral securing an Eligible Loan, whether such collateral was pledged under the original terms of the Eligible Loan or at the time of upsizing, will secure the loan participation on a pro rata basis.
Required Attestations
In addition to certifications required by applicable statutes and regulations, the following attestations will be required with respect to the upsized tranche of each Eligible Loan:
1. The Eligible Lender must attest that the proceeds of the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan will not be used to repay or refinance pre-existing loans or lines of credit made by the Eligible Lender to the Eligible Borrower, including the pre-existing portion of the Eligible Loan.
2. The Eligible Borrower must commit to refrain from using the proceeds of the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan to repay other loan balances. The Eligible Borrower must commit to refrain from repaying other debt of equal or lower priority, with the exception of mandatory principal payments, unless the Eligible Borrower has first repaid the Eligible Loan in full. •The Eligible Lender must attest that it will not cancel or reduce any existing lines of credit outstanding to the Eligible Borrower. The Eligible Borrower must attest that it will not seek to cancel or reduce any of its outstanding lines of credit with the Eligible Lender or any other lender.
3. The Eligible Borrower must attest that it requires financing due to the exigent circumstances presented by the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic, and that, using the proceeds of the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan, it will make reasonable efforts to maintain its payroll and retain its employees during the term of the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan.
4. The Eligible Borrower must attest that it meets the EBITDA leverage condition stated in section 5(iii) of the paragraph above specifying required features of Eligible Loans.
5. The Eligible Borrower must attest that it will follow compensation, stock repurchase, and capital distribution restrictions that apply to direct loan programs under section 4003(c)(3)(A)(ii) of the CARES Act.
6. Eligible Lenders and Eligible Borrowers will each be required to certify that the entity is eligible to participate in the Facility, including in light of the conflicts of interest prohibition in section 4019(b) of the CARES Act.
Loan Upsizing and Servicing
An Eligible Borrower will pay an Eligible Lender a fee of 100 basis points of the principal amount of the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan at the time of upsizing. The SPV will pay an Eligible Lender 25 basis points of the principal amount of its participation in the upsized tranche of the Eligible Loan per annum for loan servicing.
Facility Termination
The SPV will cease purchasing participations in Eligible Loans on September 30, 2020, unless the Board and the Treasury Department extend the Facility. The Reserve Bank will continue to fund the SPV after such date until the SPV’s underlying assets mature or are sold.
Notes
1. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Board”) and Secretary of the Treasury may make adjustments to the terms and conditions described in this term sheet. Any changes will be announced on the Board’s website.
Keywords: Federal Reserve System, U.S. Exchange Stabilization Fund.
