Mezzanine Debt Financing

What is Mezzanine Debt Financing?

Mezzanine financing is a capital resource that sits between senior debt and equity in the capital structure and features the best of both worlds. When companies have maximized their senior debt borrowing capacity, and want to raise additional capital without depleting future senior debt capacity, they are typically left with two options: raise outside equity or utilize mezzanine financing.

Mezzanine Debt Financing Structure

From a structural standpoint, mezzanine financing is subordinate to senior debt, and does not usually require any amortization prior to maturity. With a 7-8-year bullet maturity, mezzanine is what we call patient capital – meaning that it supports growth, while also being less costly than direct equity issuance. A mezzanine-supported recapitalization is also an attractive alternative to an outright sale of the business or an equity raise, enabling owners to maintain control.

While it’s certainly not as well-known as other types of capital, we think you’ll find mezzanine to be an option well worth being acquainted with – and as a mezzanine lender we can help you with just that.