Debt Service Coverage Ratio Covenant Breach
- 01:51
How the debt service coverage ratio is used in a covenant breach
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It's worth understanding what happens to the debt service coverage ratio when a covenant is breached. Let's say we have a minimum debt service coverage ratio of 1.3 times. If you don't meet one times, of course you're not going to be able to pay interest or principle on time. So what do banks do to mitigate this level of risk? Well, firstly, they will look at the debt service coverage ratio based on the revised forecast going forward in the future years, and then they'll review if the situation is material and if it's not, which in most cases it probably isn't, then there is some headroom. Because if you have a debt service coverage ratio above 1, you by definition have more free cash flow than the interest and principle repayments. And this means there is some spare cash, in which case they can say, okay, you have 0.6 spare cash. Pay that to us right now. And we can use that to redeem the loan, which essentially means the lenders are paid earlier than expected. So in the breach year or the covenant breach year, the debt service coverage ratio is equal to 1, and it would help improve the debt service coverage ratio in future years. So that's one of the reasons why the debt service coverage ratio is in place. It helps reduce the risk for the lenders.