Structured finance in the South African real estate market: who are the winners — borrowers or lenders?

Structured finance, in this paper, refers to structures developed by banks, to finance real estate developments or investments, which separate the debt and equity components of real estate. The debt component or loan amount is the present value of the lease cash flow. The equity component is the value of the real estate at the end of the lease period. These complex structures incorporate significant tax benefits.

This paper examines the current position of structured finance in the South African real estate market. The focus is on up-market decentralised areas. The research aims to establish the benefits of structured finance for both lenders and borrowers. The research was initiated by a pilot study of a specific financing structure for a decentralised office development (Evans 2000). This pilot study raised the question of ‘who were the winners?’ in the deal.

The research has been conducted with the participation of selected banks and consultants who are the lenders and creators of the structures, as well as with the users who are the real estate investors or developers. A survey, in the form of structured, in-depth interviews was conducted with eight banks, two structured finance consultancy firms, eight developers and two investors, all of whom are active participants in the structured finance market.

As the criteria surrounding each deal vary, a ‘deal specific’ finance structure is created for each development or investment. This has led to the information collected being portrayed qualitatively. However, because of the confidential nature of each structure, research focuses on general rather than specific structures.

This paper examines first the aims of structured finance and the method of achieving these aims; secondly, the criteria for banks entering into these structures; and thirdly, the structure and tax risks which are invariably passed on to the borrower. Results of interviews reveal that banks and borrowers benefit from these finance structures by maximized loan amounts and fixed interest rates. The potential tax obligations, however, may have a significant financial impact on borrowers. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications