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Borrower meaning

What does Borrower mean?
In practice, the borrower is the person or entity that receives credit under a loan or facility agreement and undertakes to repay it. The term is descriptive rather than fixed by statute; finance documents define “Borrower” for that contract. Usage is broadly consistent across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, although consumer credit legislation often uses “debtor” or “consumer” instead. Key features: - The party to whom a lender, asset-based lender or receivables financier makes a facility available (for example, a term loan, revolving credit facility, borrowing‑base/ABL facility or invoice finance). - May be a single borrower or co‑borrowers within a corporate group; can include companies, LLPs, partnerships, or individuals. - Primary obligations include repaying principal, paying interest and fees, and complying with representations, undertakings (including financial covenants), information duties and events of default provisions. - Often categorised as an “Obligor” alongside guarantors and security providers in LMA‑style documentation. - In secured lending, typically grants security over assets (including receivables in ABL/factoring), with perfection and registration requirements varying by jurisdiction. Practical significance: identifying the correct borrower(s) affects availability under a borrowing base, liability allocation, security coverage, eligibility of receivables, enforcement strategy and restructuring options across the UK and Ireland.
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View the related Checklists about Borrower

CHECKLISTS
Non-performing loans (NPLs): EU and UK supervisory, insolvency and secondary market developments timeline (2016–2023)

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is no longer maintained. A bank loan is treated as a non-performing loan (NPL) if more than 90 days pass without the borrower making the agreed instalments or interest payments. Banks experienced an accumulation of NPLs in their books when borrowers' inability to repay was intensified by the financial crisis and subsequent recessions. When NPLs are proportionately high, banks' capacity to manage the riskiness of their lending is diminished. NPLs are a supervisory priority for the European Central Bank (ECB), which monitors the overall level of NPLs across euro area banks. Under the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP), the ECB assesses whether individual banks adequately manage loan risk and whether they have suitable strategies, governance arrangements and processes in place. The ECB also regularly undertakes co-ordinated exercises to review the asset quality of the banks it directly supervises—it works with national supervisors to establish a consistent and effective approach to tackling and reducing bad loans, drawing on best practices as set...

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CHECKLISTS
UK corporate loans: direct and indirect tax checklist for bilateral and syndicated borrowing (interest relief, CIR, transfer pricing, hybrids, withholding tax, VAT, stamp duty, SDRT, FATCA and CRS)

Checklist This Checklist sets out the principal direct and indirect tax considerations that a corporate borrower within the scope of UK corporation tax (a UK corporate borrower) ought to assess both prior to entering into a loan and over the life of that loan... It is designed to be used as a Checklist by the tax adviser to a UK corporate borrower, offering a concise outline of the relevant tax matters and providing space for the adviser to record notes... This Checklist proceeds on the basis that: the borrower is a company within the charge to UK corporation tax in relation to the loan, that is, either a UK tax resident company or a non‑UK tax resident company for which the loan is attributable to its UK permanent establishment (a UK PE), or attributable to the non‑UK resident company’s trade of dealing in or developing UK land; and the borrower and the lender are unconnected parties dealing at arm’s length ...

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CHECKLISTS
UK post-Brexit finance documentation checklist: facility agreements, security, loss of passporting rights, retained EU law, benchmarks, tax, sanctions, COMI, IFRS, BRRD, governing law, jurisdiction, insolvency and IP

Checklist (Archived) This Checklist sets out key checks for facility and security documentation after the Brexit implementation period. ARCHIVED: This Checklist has been archived and is not maintained. When that period ended, EU law was transposed into UK law as retained EU law under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020), in most cases with only minor adjustments. See Practice Note: Retained EU law and assimilated law. Read this alongside Practice Notes: Brexit—documentary implications for facility agreements [Archived] and Brexit—impact on finance transactions [Archived]. The focus is on documentary issues and it does not capture every potential consideration for finance transactions following the end of the implementation period. For a fuller overview, see Practice Notes: What does IP completion day mean for lending lawyers? [Archived] and Brexit—impact on finance transactions [Archived]. Loss of passporting rights Issue: Loss of passporting rights Question: There is an EU27 borrower under the facilities agreement. What steps should be...

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NEWS
Morley v RBS: No bank duty of reasonable skill and care after loan expiry; only mortgagee duties; internal policies not actionable; economic duress fails without coercion (England and Wales)

Morley (trading as Morley Estates) v Royal Bank of Scotland plc [2021] EWCA Civ 338 What are the practical implications of this case? This decision clarifies the boundaries of a bank’s obligations to its client and demonstrates how those responsibilities shift over the course of their dealings. Where a borrower has taken out a secured lending facility, the bank’s duty to deliver banking services with reasonable skill and care ceases when the contractual loan period ends. After that point, the bank is only bound by the express provisions of the mortgage and the equitable duties inherent in that security relationship (for example, the recognised obligation to exercise reasonable care to realise a proper price for the collateral). It is not correct to read into the mortgage an implied contractual duty of reasonable skill and care. In addition, the Court of Appeal endorsed RBS’s position that any alleged non-compliance with its internal policy documents—unknown to the customer and potentially aspirational—cannot of itself ground a claim for breach of duty by...

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NEWS
UK lending to borrower groups with defined benefit pension schemes: regulatory risks, security and restructuring under the Pensions Act 2004 and Pension Schemes Act 2021

This Practice Note sets out how the Pensions Act 2004 and the Pension Schemes Act 2021 affect lending to borrower groups that sponsor defined benefit pension schemes. It outlines UK pensions basics, explains the responsibilities of scheme trustees, the role of the Pensions Regulator and the Pensions Protection Fund, and flags issues arising under pensions legislation that directly bear on lending, taking security and restructuring. See Practice Note: Defined benefit pension schemes in lending transactions...

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NEWS
England and Wales Court of Appeal: recurring short-term loans are yearly interest; UK to UK ITA 2007 s 933 exemption disapplied—recipient not beneficially entitled

Hargreaves Property Holdings Ltd v HMRC [2024] EWCA Civ 365 The background The borrower, a UK-resident taxpayer and the parent of a group active in UK property investment, financed its business and activities with loans from a large number of lenders. In 2004, the loan arrangements were altered with the objective that the interest would not be chargeable to UK tax, ultimately so: each lender transferred its entitlement to interest (and likewise to principal) to a Guernsey-resident vehicle for consideration very shortly before the interest fell due for payment—from 2012, once assigned to the Guernsey entity, the interest was subsequently transferred again to Houmet, a UK-incorporated and UK tax-resident company just one or two days after the assignment, the interest was paid and the principal also repaid, and the same lender then made a fresh advance equal to or greater than its prior loan to the same borrower—the new advance being financed by the proceeds of the assignment This pattern...

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View the related Practice Notes about Borrower

PRACTICE NOTES
Term Loan B facilities: structure, key documentation points, European differences from traditional senior loans, evolving covenants, transfer restrictions, and the implications of Kirschner v JP Morgan Chase

This Practice Note looks at Term Loan B (TLB) facilities, which often feature as a senior tranche within syndicated loans in leveraged financings. TLBs are long-established in the US market and are increasingly seen in the European lending market for institutional investors. It examines the structure of a typical TLB and how it diverges from traditional European leveraged loans, before setting out the key features. This Practice Note assumes some understanding of leveraged finance. For introductory information, see: Introductory guide to acquisition finance. For explanations of common terms, see Practice Note: Glossary of acquisition finance terms and jargon. What is a Term Loan B? In lending markets, ‘Term Loan B’ or ‘TLB’ (short for Term Loan Bullet) describes a tranche of senior secured credit facilities made available to a borrower and intended to be syndicated in the institutional loan market. They are usually floating-rate term facilities with an actual or implied non-investment grade rating, a five to seven year maturity and either nominal amortisation of 1% per annum...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Scotland: Cross‑Border Banking and Finance—Loan Market, Security, Perfection, Enforcement and Intercreditor Priorities, including Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 Reforms

Loan market and developments Overview Broadly, Scotland’s loan market mirrors that of England. Financial services regulation operates on a UK‑wide basis; a substantial body of legislation governing companies and other corporate vehicles (including corporate insolvency) likewise applies across the UK; and all Scottish clearing banks conduct business in every UK jurisdiction, as do their counterparts across the UK. In practical terms, this means English law governed loan documents typically require minimal amendment for UK cross‑border lending transactions. There are, however, some differences in terminology and certain statutory variations that must be allowed for; beyond those matters, an English law loan document and a Scots law loan document are closely aligned. It is commonplace, for example, for English law loan agreements to be deployed in Scottish lending transactions. The principal divergences between the jurisdictions arise in relation to property law and to the law concerning rights in security, where Scots law and English law are notably distinct. Lending Is it necessary to secure any consents or licences to...

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PRACTICE NOTES
New York cross-border lending and security: a guide for UK finance lawyers on market trends, UCC perfection, enforcement, intercreditor issues, and recognition of English law and judgments (Dec 2024)

Loan market and developments Please provide a succinct outline of the current condition of the loan markets in your jurisdiction and any noteworthy recent developments. The US corporate loan market remains a significant pillar of the US economy. While the US loan market has undergone considerable change in recent years, it is still resilient and continues to be one of the most inventive and consequential areas within the US capital markets. Two principal components of the US corporate loan space are broadly syndicated loans (BSL) and private credit transactions. The BSL segment is a key funding source for medium- and large-sized companies, comprising loans where multiple banks and non-bank financial institutions extend finance through a syndicate of lenders. Private credit typically involves lending by non-bank lenders on a bilateral basis or by a small cadre of lenders (often termed ‘club deals’). Both segments have seen strong growth and transformation over the past several years. Broadly Syndicated Loans Although private credit often captures more media focus, syndicated lending...

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View the related Precedents about Borrower

PRECEDENTS
Precedent Sterling term loan facility agreement (bilateral) for single corporate borrower, with optional security and/or parent guarantee (England and Wales)

This Agreement, dated [ • ] 20[ • ], is entered into between the following parties: Parties [ insert name of Borrower ], a company incorporated in England and Wales with registered number [ insert company number ], whose registered office is at [ insert address ] (the Borrower); and [ insert name of Lender ] of [ insert address ] (the Lender). Background (A) [ insert description of background to transaction ]. (B) The Lender has agreed to provide the Facility (as defined below) to the Borrower on the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement...

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PRECEDENTS
Borrower’s Solicitors’ Completion Undertaking to Lender’s Solicitors: Commercial Property Purchase and First Legal Charge (England and Wales)

TO BE PRINTED ON THE BORROWER’S SOLICITORS’ HEADED PAPER To: [ insert details of the lender’s solicitors ] (the Lender’s Solicitors) and [ insert details of the lender ] (the Lender) Dear [ insert organisation name ] Completion undertaking This undertaking concerns the acquisition of [ insert property description ] (the Property) by [ insert borrower’s name ] (the Borrower) under a sale contract dated [ insert date ] between [ insert seller’s name ] (the Seller) and the Borrower (the Sale Contract), together with the grant of a first legal charge over the Property in favour of the Lender pursuant to a facility agreement dated [ insert date ] between [ insert details ] (the Facility Agreement). For the purposes of this letter, ‘completion’ means completion of the Transfer of the Property to the Borrower (the Transfer), and does not include registration of the Transfer at HM Land Registry. We are instructed by the Borrower. We enclose: ...

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PRECEDENTS
Conflicts of interest in property transactions: guidance on common interest, competing objectives, lender-borrower, buyer-seller and third-party security

Conflicts, confidentiality and disclosure policy Our Conflicts, confidentiality and disclosure policy outlines our stance on when we may proceed in conflict situations. We also provide guidance for specific [ departments OR types of work ]. This guidance demonstrates how the policy might operate in varying scenarios, but it is not meant to be comprehensive or inflexible. For each matter addressed by these guidelines we must assess whether a conflict exists and, if it does, whether we are able to act...

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View the related Q&As about Borrower

Q&As
Mortgage by demise: vacating receipt, surrender and HMLR first registration

A mortgage by demise A mortgage by demise is an uncommon variety of mortgage whereby the borrower demises the property to the lender as security for a loan of money. Its arrangement is comparable to a lease, but for an exceptionally long duration (typically 3000 years). The mortgage will contain provisions for redemption. In the ordinary course, upon settlement of the principal amount and the interest, the mortgage will determine and the demised term thereby comes to an end...

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