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Equity and Mezzanine Financing
VENTURE FINANCIAL LTD.
Mezzanine Financing is high-risk lending structured as a mortgage which normally ranks in
2nd or 3rd position behind conventional institutional debt. The most common need for
mezzanine lending is on the following types of developments:
| (i) |
low rise residential developments |
| (ii) |
high rise residential developments |
| (iii) |
retail or industrial developments where some level of pre-leasing has been achieved |
| (iv) |
any under-performing real estate with legitimate 'turnaround' potential |
Equity Loans (Equity Participation Deals) is a joint venture arrangement in which the equity
lender/investor will provide a disproportionate amount of the required equity in exchange for
a participation in the cash flow and equity of the project. Normally, the equity lender will
require a preferred rate of return in the range of 10% to 15% per annum. This preferred
return may be paid monthly to the extent that project cash flow is available or would accrue if
the project is under development. The types of real estate which are well suited for Equity
lending are similar to those mentioned above for Mezzanine lending.
Mezzanine and Equity financing are complicated and is usually arranged in combination
with low risk conventional debt. As a result, mezzanine and equity lending require creativity
and experience at structuring complex loan proposals. The extensive experience of Venture
financing Ltd. and its Principal in arranging these types of loans will help our clients to
obtain and close their transactions.
Lending Parameters:
The basic lending parameters that are available through Venture Financial Ltd. for
mezzanine and equity financing program are provided below:
Mezzanine Loans
Loan Amount: Loan amount to range from $500.000 to $ 10.000.000. No maximum loan amount.
Developer Profile:
Experienced with a reputation for quality and success in the local market.
Project Profile:
A well located project in a major urban market in the Ontario with a healthy pro forma profit
margin.(Marginal projects can not be qualified for these types of loans)
Project Status: The development must be showing good potential. In the case of a
condominium development, the marketing campaign must show a good level of pre-sales
with the level of sales showing steady and consistent growth. In the case of a retail plaza or
industrial building, there would normally be a requirement for some level of pre-leasing (say
40%-80%) and the typical Term of such loan should be 1-2 years. In the event of Joint
Venture the Term can be longer.
Equity Contribution: Normally at least 80% of the total equity requirement will be funded by
the Lender with the 20% balance contributed by the Developer. The Developer contribution
is normally in the form of cash equity, although an appraisal increase in the value of the
land may be considered where it is substantial and verifiable.
Interest Rate: An internal rate of return of 15% to 30% as negotiated between the parties,
and based on the risk assessment of the lender.
Lender's Fees: Normally 2.0% (in some cases this fee may be added to the loan amount).
Term: 1-3 years.
Broker's Fees: 2.0% - 5.0% ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equity Loans
Equity Investment Amount: From $1,000,000 and no maximum loan amount.
Developers Profile: Experienced with a reputation for quality and success in the local market.
Project Profile: A well located project in a major urban market (in Ontario) with a healthy pro forma profit margin.
Project Status: The investment is normally made at the time of acquisition of the land. In
most cases, there has not been substantial progress made in selling units (in the case of
residential real estate) or pre-leasing (in the case of commercial real estate). Zoning,
however, must be in place although an application for a density increase may be in process.
Preferred Return: 10% to 15% per annum. This return may be paid monthly or, in the case
of a development project, may be accrued subject to lender's approval. The preferred return
is first paid to the Lender and then to the Developer prior to the balance of the proceeds
being split in a mutual agreement upon proportion.
Equity Split: Normally the equity is split equally on a 50/50 basis. In cases where many of
the normal development risks have been mitigated, the Lender may accept a lower equity split.
Term: Normally 1-4 years.
For more details regarding the structure and the intricacies of these types of loans
our loan specialists will be pleased to meet with any Borrower/Developer that are interested in these
types of borrowing/Joint Ventures.
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