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NEW YORK (LPC) - General Electric Co is asking its lenders to replace US$20bn in revolving loans with a new debt package that will come with a smaller size and shorter maturities, sources said. FILE PHOTO: The logo of U. S. conglomerate General Electric is seen on the company building in Belfort, France, October 19, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler The new loans, that will come at the reduced size of US$15bn, are a testament to a changing bank landscape as firms seek to get better compensated for the risk they take to lend as volatility rattles the markets. A shorter commitment window of three years bodes well for the banks lending to the multinational conglomerate at a time when liquidity is golden. JP Morgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley lead the GE loans. "During times of volatility, banks prefer to be out with a three-year loan, and not a five-year loan. A shorter-term maturity is going to be less risky, " a banking source said. The reduced financing size was agreed to at the onset of the discussions with banks and before the coronavirus fears rattled the markets.
According to JP Morgan, by March 27 there had been US$227bn in revolver drawdowns. And although liquidity is yet to be impacted, more drawdowns are expected to follow. The banks' inability to repay its liabilities with sufficiently liquid assets is considered to be a large cause of the financial crisis. JP Morgan, Citi, BNP and Morgan Stanley declined to comment. BAML and Goldman did not return immediate requests to comment. GE'S DEAL To replace US$20bn in loans set to expire in 2021, GE was originally looking to do a three-year and a five-year loan. But given the uncertainty in the market, only a shorter-date financing was available. "As part of our normal financial management process, we are refinancing a back-up credit facility that expires in 2021. Our financial position is sound, including US$20bn of cash proceeds from closing the sale of BioPharma on March 31, " a GE spokesperson said in a emailed statement to Refinitiv LPC. The financing, that launched early this week, is expected to price higher than the existing loan.