Banking and finance

We have extensive experience in project finance, acting for commercial house builders, RSLs and specific project consortia in negotiating funding agreements, security arrangements (both fixed and floating) and agreeing and finalising conditions precedent.

We work closely with the Land Registry on behalf of a number of clients as part of large refinancing projects to ensure that the details that are recorded on the title registers are correct. This is an increasingly important administrative task as the Land Registry aims to introduce electronic conveyancing within the next few years.

The range of services we can provide to you includes:

• Negotiating funding agreements and all related documentation with commercial lenders, both bilateral and syndicated, and placing intra-group loans;
  
• Placing security both under new loan agreements, which includes negotiating the various documents that need to be provided to a lender and its solicitors, and also putting in place additional security under existing or restated loan agreements;
  
• Providing advice on refinancing initiatives, including putting in place security trustee arrangements and transferring existing security to a security trustee under new funding agreements;
  
• Providing advice and drafting documentation for borrowing money through bond issues;
  
• Advising on standalone hedging arrangements and ISDA documentation.
  

For many years we have acted for clients who wish to refinance their existing borrowing. We are involved from the beginning, advising on initial Heads of Terms and the consequences of breaking existing fixes, through to negotiating the detailed loan agreement or agreements. This includes drafting board reports and conditions precedent paperwork, and collating the conditions precedent documentation required to achieve completion and drawdown.

When acting on security matters, we work closely with you from the start of the funding process to ensure that the necessary systems and documents are in place for a quick and smooth charging process. We have designed and built a sophisticated property database IT system for this purpose.