ASSET BACKED BANK CREDIT LINE PROGRAM
Some clients find our regular program problematic, in that it takes some time to set up the loan, the drawdown schedule can sometimes cause timing challenges, and they have trouble raising the required 25-33% in initial funds. This program has been rolled out to offer an alternative that eliminates those potential roadblocks.
Introduced in May 2020, the "Asset Backed Bank Credit Line" program was designed to allow our clients easy access to funding with less initial requirements and less restrictive timelines than our usual lending program. In addition, it allows you to borrow from and work directly with your own bank. FilmCabbage simply facilitates the transaction, and fully underwrites the project with the bank.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Unlike our standard program, this program does not require the borrower to have already raised any initial funds at all. To participate in this program, the client will instead need to have:
(a) a project ready to execute that requires a minimum of $5M in funding, and
(b) a banking relationship with a lender that can execute a credit line backed by assets.
In this program FilmCabbage will work with the client and their bank to set up a dedicated credit line that will be underwritten IN FULL by our group's assets. This credit line would be set up in an amount greater than that required to fund the client project, to ensure enough funds will always be available, and to afford funds to FilmCabbage to put to work in other programs to fully mitigate our risk in the venture. FilmCabbage will provide the Client's lender the amount of pledged assets they require to set up the credit line, either through a bank instrument to be issued from the lending group's own corresponding bank in the banking jurisdiction where our gold is vaulted, an asset pledge of gold bullion from our gold holdings, or an SKR (safekeeping receipt) issued by Brinks, that is fully backed by our gold holdings with them. FilmCabbage can pledge the assets to them in whichever of these three methods the bank prefers.
When our banking team works with your bank to set up the credit line, we will paper the deal so that it is clear that your project is responsible for servicing only the portion of the credit line the project has used, and FilmCabbage is responsible for servicing any remaining balance. But it is always our assets that entirely back the credit line principal 100%.
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO?
We would consider all projects that are ready to execute and have a solid business plan backing it. All that you (the client) need to be able to bring to the table to have your project considered for full funding/underwriting is a bank/banker that will be Ready, Willing and Able to set up the credit line, backed by the asset of their choice.
Once the bank has issued a "soft" confirmation that they can provide the credit line (assuming of course that the asset meets their requirements and all of their Due Diligence requirements), FilmCabbage will require that the client go through our standard application and risk assessment protocols. This is to (a) confirm that we find the project an acceptable risk for us to fully back, and (b) in case of any eventuality where FilmCabbage may end up holding the note for the loan.
For instance, if the project is not completed by the end of the Line-of-Credit term (or if the bank calls it early), FilmCabbage would need to pay out the Line-of-Credit to the bank and would then become the lender of record. So as we and our banking teams work with your bank to set up the Line-of-Credit, the FilmCabbage team will be working with you to process your application and set up all loan agreements to prepare for any instance where we eventually become the lender of record.
Once caveat - there is a time and opportunity cost to developing each credit line and project. As a result, if your film has a budget of less than $5M, it will be too small to be workable under this program, both for the bank in question, and for FilmCabbage. Only projects requiring a minimum of $5M in budget funds will be able to apply.
DUE DILIGENCE
The most creative element of this program for our participating clients is that they have a zero risk position - they are not required to have any initial funds, they never have to escrow any money..... nothing. They simply facilitate putting FilmCabbage's bankers in touch with their banker that has expressed interest in participating.
The bank will need a great deal of due diligence confirmations, both about us (FilmCabbage) and our asset backing the credit line, but they will perform this diligence themselves. When our bankers are in contact with your bankers, we will have to provide them complete CIS information, and allow them to confirm the asset (whether pledged gold, Letter of Credit or SKR) with the issuing bank/entity via SWIFT banking communication. The bank performs all required due diligence confirmations to ensure that everything is appropriately secured.
We ONLY engage with your lender once they have confirmed that they understand the offering, are content with the setup of the process, and able to proceed using our processes.
FilmCabbage will perform its own diligence/risk assessment on your project to ensure we are comfortable backing it.
ARE THERE ANY FEES?
FilmCabbage will charge each participating client/project a 3% “Structuring Fee” which is due upon close of the deal (when the line of credit funds become available). This fee will cover all costs of setting up the financing with the bank, including the papering of the bank credit line, the setting up of the contracts between FilmCabbage and the client, and the setting up of the security required by the bank to back the credit line. This fee can be paid directly from the credit line proceeds, and can be included as a financing cost in your project budget.
We will assign an independent PWC Project Caretaker to your project, to protect our own interests. This caretaker will ensure that all funds are being used appropriately and the project remains on track, and that when it begins generating revenue that is servicing the debt to the bank. This caretaker will levy a flat $5k a month fee for a monthly analysis of the project, which will be billed to the client directly by them (FilmCabbage derives no income from this oversight).
In addition, since we are assuming full liability for underwriting your project, we will be taking an equity position in the project for doing so. The level of our equity position will be determined on a case-by-case basis, usually based on expected EBITDA, and will be part of the contract set up between the client and FilmCabbage.