Structuring Covenants in Leveraged Financing and High-Yield Bonds
Additional Debt Covenants, Equity Cures, Builder Baskets, Restricted Subsidiaries, Events of Default

Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
- work Practice Area
Banking and Finance
- event Date
Thursday, May 4, 2023
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
-
This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
This CLE course will examine current market terms and conditions for leveraged loans and high-yield bonds and the characteristics common to each type of financing. The panel will discuss various covenants, including additional debt provisions, equity cures, builder baskets, and other key terms and conditions from both the borrower and lender perspectives.
Faculty
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Ms. O’Sullivan has extensive experience in representing financial advisors, lenders and borrowers in various financings, with a particular emphasis on acquisition financings, leveraged lending, restructurings and asset-based finance. She is ranked a leading lawyer in banking and finance by Chambers USA, IFLR 1000, and Euromoney Expert Guides.

Mr. Steinberg focuses his practice on various types of financing transactions, including leveraged acquisition financing, specialized finance structures (including derivative-linked and asset-backed), as well as unsecured and secured bank and private financings generally, with experience in asset classes such as motion pictures, energy, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and airlines. He represents investment and debt funds, major corporations, banks, emerging businesses and financial sponsors
Description
Due to investor appetite for higher yield bonds, strong demand continues in the market for the issuance of covenant-lite leveraged loans and high-yield bonds with similar covenants.
Prevailing trends are the issuance of loans and bonds that do not contain maintenance covenants. Alternatively, documentation may include springing maintenance covenants, performance cushions, and equity cures. Often borrowers are allowed to incur additional debt, make acquisitions, and repay subordinated debt. Covenant-lite loans may include "builder baskets" to fund these other transactions.
As with high-yield indentures, the parties may determine that some subsidiaries are "unrestricted" and not bound by the leveraged loan covenants. The deal often also includes one or more subsidiary guarantors. Counsel should understand the ramifications of each for the borrower and the loan.
Listen as our authoritative panel examines and compares terms and conditions contained in leveraged loans and high-yield bonds. The panel will review current covenants from both the borrower and lender perspectives.
Outline
- Current leveraged loan covenants
- Equity cures
- Additional debt
- Acquisitions
- Investments
- Repayment of junior debt
- Similarities of leveraged loan terms with high-yield bonds
- Restricted subsidiaries
- Builder baskets
- Events of default
- Opportunities and risks for borrowers and lenders
Benefits
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What are the market forces impacting covenants in leveraged loans and high-yield bonds?
- What are the typical features of covenant-lite loans?
- What are the typical features of high-yield lite covenant packages?
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