A Secured Loan Agreement provides financing backed by collateral assets, outlining repayment and enforcement terms. This playbook explains negotiation of covenants, events of default, and security perfection requirements.
Why This Matters: Breaches of financial covenants can trigger defaults, jeopardizing financing stability and leading to costly restructurings or enforcement actions.
Negotiation strategy
If you're the Lender:
Ensure covenants are realistic and clearly defined to prevent defaults. Regularly review the borrower's financial health and adjust covenants as necessary.
If you're the Borrower:
Negotiate for covenants that reflect your financial projections and industry benchmarks. Seek flexibility in testing periods and cure periods.
Essential elements
1
Debt to Equity Ratio
Maintain specific ratio limits.
2
Interest Coverage Ratio
Ensure sufficient earnings to cover interest.
3
Loan to Value Ratio
Limit loan amount relative to asset value.
Action framework
ACCEPT
Propose edits when industry-specific metrics are not reflected.
EDIT
Reject clauses that are overly restrictive or unrealistic.
ADD
Add covenants when financial health monitoring is insufficient.
PRO TIP
Collaborate with industry experts to ensure covenants are aligned with market standards.
Example clauses
FAVORABLE
Preferred Debt to Equity Ratio
"The Borrower shall maintain a Debt to Equity Ratio of no greater than 3:1, tested quarterly."
NEUTRAL
Fallback Debt to Equity Ratio
"The Borrower shall maintain a Debt to Equity Ratio of no greater than 4:1, tested semi-annually, with a 30-day cure period for breaches."
UNFAVORABLE
Overly Restrictive Debt to Equity Ratio
"The Borrower shall maintain a Debt to Equity Ratio of no greater than 1:1, tested monthly."
Fallbacks
High-Risk Projects
In high-risk projects, stricter covenants may be necessary to mitigate potential financial instability.
Start-Up Companies
Start-ups may require more lenient covenants to accommodate growth and fluctuating financials.
Established Corporations
Established corporations might negotiate for less frequent testing periods due to stable financial histories.
FEATURED SOLUTIONS
Contract Email Agent
Self-service Al for instant contract review and markups.
Never leave your inbox. Effortless contract markups and summaries—delivered straight to your inbox. No signups, no apps, no plugins, no playbooks, no delays.
Import PDF. Redline on DocJuris. Export to Word. Save a day of work.
Import locked PDFs or Word docs and get work done with our world-class contract editing platform. Track your changes and comments and export seamlessly to MS Word without the headaches of clunky add-ins.
Markup clauses in seconds. See the reasoning, stay in control.
Negotiate with confidence using DocJuris’s AI-powered suggestions. Pick a suggested action to balance or lean specific terms in favor of a party. Or, quickly make a clause mutual or simpler with a single click without the back-and-forth.
Uncover opportunities and risks in your signed contracts.
Turn your contracts into structured insights. With Repository AI, DocJuris analyzes every imported agreement—so you always know what’s expiring, auto-renewing, or exposing risk. Total visibility, zero guesswork.
Unlike complex CLMs with long implementations and steep learning curves, DocJuris is built for speed and simplicity. We integrate with your workflow—whether connecting to a CLM or uploading agreements manually—so you're up and running in days, not months.
WEEK 1
CLM Readiness and Design
Our CX team works with you to understand your contracting challenges, prioritize key workflows, and identify the biggest impact areas. We build a tailored implementation plan that fits your needs.
WEEK 2
Install Module
We connect DocJuris to your contract repositories, set up admin and user accounts, and ensure your environment is ready for success.
WEEK 3
Deliver & Test
Your team builds initial playbooks, reviews existing clause libraries, and trains the DocJuris agent to align with your internal standards and negotiation positions.
WEEK 4
Launch
We support you in rolling out DocJuris to a pilot group or your full organization—with launch materials, training, and hands-on support to drive adoption from day one.
Not another CLM
Tackle everything your team needs using existing IT without expensive consultants, outrageous user licensing fees, or complex coding. DocJuris takes on the heavy lift and delivers your requirements with its people, process, and technology.
See how DocJuris can automate your legal, procurement, and sales operations.
DocJuris is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. We cannot provide any kind of advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options,selection of forms or strategies.