Power Tools for Successful Leasing

Page

Chapter 1

A Leasing Primer

1

A Leasing Primer

2

Tax Considerations

5

Accounting Purposes

7

Legal Criteria

8

Contrasting True Leases and Secured Loans

11

Tax

11

Legal

12

Accounting

12

Interest

12

Credit issues

12

Collateral

12

Liability

13

Uniform Commercial Code

13

Chapter 2

Leasing Law

15

What is "The Law?"

15

Case Law

15

Regulatory Law

16

Federal Law

16

State Law

16

Conflict of Law

16

Qualification to do Business

17

The Law

18

Basic Rules

18

Capacity

19

Legality

19

Writing

19

Contract Law

19

What is the Uniform Commercial Code?

20

Article 2

20

Article 9

20

The UCC Article 9

23

Article 2A

25

Types of Business Organizations

25

Sole Proprietorship

26

Limited Partnership

28

Corporations

30

Limited Liability Company

32

Limited Liability Partnership

32

Bankruptcy Law

34

Liquidating Bankruptcy or Reorganization

35

Voluntary and Involuntary Bankruptcy

35

Preferences in Bankruptcy

36

ECOA (Regulation B)

37

Usury

39

Litigation

40

Types of Damages

41

Judge and Jury

41

Procedure

42

Mediation and Arbitration

43

Chapter 3

The Paper Trail

45

Why the Documents and Lease Provisions are Necessary

45

Protect the deal

47

Protect lease revenue

47

Protect residual value

47

Protect the lessor from liability

48

Protect enforceability

48

When the Documents are Signed and What They Do

48

Phase I - Invitation to the Dance

49

Engagement Letter

49

Lease Proposal/Commitment Letter

49

Lease Summary Sheet

50

Progress Payment Agreement

50

Advance Lease Agreement

51

Progress Payments/Pre-Funding

51

Agency Agreement

51

Vendor Agreement

52

Phase II - Striking the Deal

52

Master Lease

52

Lease Schedule

53

Guaranty

53

Purchase Order

53

Purchase Order Assignment

54

Pay Proceeds Letter

54

Phase III - Funding

54

Delivery Certificate

55

Acceptance Certificate

55

Vendor Invoice

55

Other Documents

56

Lessee Certificates

56

Good Standing Certificate

56

Attorney Opinion

56

Insurance Certificate

57

Landlord/Mortgagee Waiver

57

UCC Financing Statements

57

Telephone Audit Notes

57

Site Inspections

58

Appraisals

58

TRAC Documents

58

Chapter 4

Lease Documents Provisions

59

What is In Your Lease?

60

Provisions Which Protect the Deal

60

Lease Obligation

60

Description of Schedules

60

UCC Waivers and Acknowledgements

60

Delivery and Acceptance

61

Term

61

Lessee Representations, Covenants and Financial Statements

61

Provisions that Protect Lease Revenues

62

Rent

62

Net Lease/Hell or High Water/Warranty Disclaimer

62

Provisions that Protect Residual Value

63

Use; Maintenance

63

Return Provisions

65

Loss

66

Property Insurance

66

Provisions that Protect the Lessor From Liability

67

Liability Insurance

67

General Indemnity

67

Taxes

67

Income Tax Indemnity

68

Other Lease Language

68

Events of Default

68

Remedies

69

Miscellaneous Provisions

69

Chapter 5

Why Lessees Lease

73

Economic Motives to Lease

74

Net Operating Loss Carry-Forwards (NOLs)

75

Lease Term vs. Depreciable Tax Life

76

Length of NOL Period

77

NOL Restrictions

78

NOL Expirations

79

NOL Entity

81

NOL Recapitulation

82

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

82

Foreign NOL Carry-Forwards

86

U.S. Tax Credits

86

Foreign Tax Credits

88

The Forty Percent Rule

89

Industrial Revenue Bond Facilities

92

Low Lease Rate

92

Non-Economic Motives to Lease

93

Asset Phobia

93

Cash Flow

96

Off-Balance Sheet Financing

97

Convenience

98

Necessity

100

Controlling Technology

101

Summary

102

Chapter 6

Leasing Products

103

Tax-Oriented Leases

104

Single Investor Lease

105

TRAC Lease

105

Leveraged Lease

109

Non Tax-Oriented Leases

110

Conditional Sales Contract

111

Synthetic Lease

111

Other Lease Products

113

Financing (Triple Net) vs. Full Service Leases

113

Operating Vs. Capital Lease

114

Summary of Tax and Accounting Products

115

When to Use Each Lease Product

117

Triple Net Lease

117

Full Service Lease

117

Leveraged Lease

117

TRAC Lease

118

Conditional Sale Lease

118

Synthetic Lease

118

Single Investor Lease

118

Summary

119

Chapter 7

Shaping Lease Payment Streams

121

Why Shape Payments?

122

Base Case Example

123

Tools to Lower Lease Payments--"Free" to the Customer

125

Stretch the Lease Term

125

Interim Rent

128

Shop the Equipment Cost

129

Shop for A Hungry Funding Source

129

Shop for A Hungry Vendor

129

Purchase Residual Value Insurance

133

Tools to Lower Lease Payments--Customer Pays Up-Front

135

Up-Front Fees

136

Security Deposit

138

Advance Payments

141

Tools to Lower Lease Payments--Customer Pays at Lease End

145

Balloon Payment

145

Back-End Fees

147

Tools to Match Lease Payments to Lessee's Cash Flow

148

Step-Up Structures

148

Step-Down Payments

153

Skip Payment Structures--Regular Skips

156

Skip Payment Structures--Irregular Skips

161

Deferred Payments

163

Seasonal Lease Payments

165

Summary

172

Chapter 8

Lease Accounting

175

Why Lease Accounting is a Big Deal

175

Budgeting

176

Debt Agreements

176

Employee Compensation

177

Financial Window Dressing

179

The Numbers Behind Operating and Capital Leases

179

An Example Transaction

180

How Accountants Account for Leases--The Four Tests

182

The Four Accounting Tests

182

Explanation and Interpretation of the Four Accounting Tests

183

Lease Transfers Ownership to the Lessee

183

Lease Contains a Bargain Purchase Option

184

Lease Term is at Least 75 Percent of Economic Life

185

Present Value of Payments Equal to at Least 90 Percent of Equipment Cost

186

Accounting Structuring Tools

188

A Base Case Example

189

Operating Lease Structuring Strategies

189

Deferred Payments

189

Security Deposit

193

Contingent Payments

195

Delay Payment to the Equipment Vendor

199

First Amendment Lease

201

Interim Rent

203

Closing Costs

207

Executory Costs

207

Early Termination

208

Technology Leasing: Converting a 103% Lease to 89%

212

The Future of Lease Accounting--Looking Through a Glass Darkly?

219

Summary

220

Chapter 9

Structuring a Tax Lease

223

What is Tax Leasing Anyway?

224

Setting the Target Return on a Tax Lease

224

Types of Yield Targets

225

The Target Return on Investment--An Example

226

Determining the Lease Payment--An Example

229

Residual Value

230

Value of Depreciation

231

Lease Payment Required

234

Cash Flow and Yield Reconciliation

236

Yield Proof

237

Adding Leverage and Revenue Enhancements

240

Summary of Yield Measures for ABC Leasing

246

Termination and Casualty Values

250

Termination Values

251

Why the Table 6 Termination Values are "Low"

256

Why the Table 6 Termination Values are "High"

256

Casualty Values

257

Summary

259

Chapter 10

Lease Troubleshooting

261

Risk

261

Lessee Credit

261

Low Residual Value Equipment

262

Dangerous Equipment

263

Foreign Use

264

Tax Ownership

264

Lessee Does Not Want to Be Tax Owner

264

Lessee Wants to be Tax Owner

266

Lease Payments

266

Lessee Liquidity Problems

266

Lessee in Highly Seasonal Business

267

Lessee Requires Long Term Lease

267

Technology Equipment

268

Subject to Rapid Obsolescence

268

Software Components

268

Accounting Ownership

269

Lessee Wants Accounting Ownership

269

Lessee Does Not Want Accounting Ownership

270

Documentation

270

Lessee Wants to Control Drafting

270

Sale/Leaseback

272

When to Use

272

When not to Use

272

Initial Public Offering

273

Lessee Preparing to Go Public

273

Taxes

273

Lessee Has Low Tax Rate

273

Lessee Has Significant Net Operating Loss Carryforwards

274

Lessor Has Significant Net Operating Loss Carryforwards

276

Law

276

Lessee Not in Good Standing

276

Usury Issue

277

No Purchase Money Security Interest

277

Equipment May be a "Fixture"

277

Lessee Cannot Provide Director Resolutions

278

Equipment

279

Pre-Funding of Equipment

279

End-of-Lease--Return Obligations

279

Interim Rent

280

Acceptance Certificate

281

Lessee Refuses to Sign Acceptance Certificate

281

UCC Filings

281

Where to File

281

Priority of Other Claims

282

Bankruptcy

282

Automatic Stay

282

Vendor in Bankruptcy

283

Business Organizations

283

Partnership

283

Limited Liability Company

284

Multiple Entities

284

Lessee is an Individual

287

End-of-Lease--Lessee Purchase Option

285

Equipment--Lessee Wants Rights to Alter/Modify Equipment

286

Chapter 11

Equipment Leasing and Finance 2000: E Pluribus Unum

289

Introduction

289

Diversity Without Disunity

289

The Future

292

Opportunities

292

Risk Management

292

Profitability

292

Funding

293

Application of Technology

293

The Marketplace

293

Summary

294

Chapter 12

Safeguards Against Leasing Fraud

297

"Red Flags" for Detecting Fraud

297

Restricted Communications

297

Restricted Access to Equipment

298

Unusual Time Pressures

298

Third-Party Payments

298

Unknown Vendors

298

Bogus and Inconsistent Financial Information

299

Inappropriate Equipment

299

Preventing Fraud

299

Physical Closings

299

Know Your Vendor and Lessee

300

Verify, Verify, Verify

300

Know Your Equipment

300

Verify Financial Data

301

Government Searches

301

Haste Makes Waste

301

Further Safeguards

301

Summary

302

Chapter 13

Broker Funder Relations

303

Chapter 14

The Value of Membership

307