Can your company’s intellectual properties be used as collateral for a loan? Yes, under certain situations. For instance, if a specialized insurance policy is used to establish a value for the intellectual property, the property can be used as collateral for loans from commercial banks.
Sources of Quick Cash
Occasionally, your company may need a quick influx of cash that exceeds your balance sheet’s liquid assets.
Traditional Sources for Cash Include:
- Commercial Bank Loans
- Government Grants
- Small Business Administration Loans
- Sale of Stock or Bonds
Other Sources of Cash: Angel Investors
Other potential sources of quick cash for your company are “angel investors.” Angel investors generally take greats risks when in investing in a startup or a company with few sales and expect large returns for their investments in return.
Beware of using Angel investors since the terms of “angel contracts” can cause companies to cease doing business.
Quick Cash for Publicly Traded Companies
You may have heard, “When you don’t need a loan, the bank is ready to lend more than you need!” If you do need a loan and your publicly traded company needs quick cash, you may consider:
- Prime Rate Loans from Large Commercial Banks
- Lines of Credit
- Sales of Stocks or Bonds
Quick Cash for Private Companies
Private sales of stocks or bonds are an excellent source of capital for companies not traded in the public markets, but this is not usually an option for quick cash.
Before offering or issuing stocks or bonds, a privately traded company must be careful not to violate the Securities Laws of the United States or the “Blue Sky” laws of the state were buyers reside.
Disputes over the dilution of equity for current stockholders is a serious deterrent for using the sale of stock or bonds to raise capital.
SBA Secured Loans
Currently, the Small Business Administration will not guarantee an intellectual properties secured loan.
Collateral Protection Insurance for Your Company
Some startups or smaller and medium-sized companies have valuable intellectual property portfolios. These same companies frequently encounter cash flow difficulties.
Although intellectual properties are valuable assets for companies, most commercial banks are ill-equipped to determine the fair market value of the intellectual properties.
If you decide to leverage your company’s intellectual property portfolio, you can purchase a collateral protection insurance policy from a commercial insurance carrier. The collateral protection insurance policy establishes the value of the company’s intellectual properties (which can be used as collateral for the loan) and insures the lender against default on the loan.
Is An Intellectual Property Secured Loan Right for My Company?
This quick cash strategy is not for every company, but if you want to learn more about this option for your company, contact Business Patent Law, PLLC . We can discuss possibilities for your business and your intellectual properties.
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