Billboard Lending

Billboard Lending

An out of home banker looks at 2024

Wishing everyone the happiest holidays and best New Year from Billboard Loans.  It has been almost 6 months since retiring from my 40+ year banking career, and I have to say working with billboard people is more fun.  I’ve become a billboard nerd like my partner, Dave Westburg.  I read about […]

Billboard Lending

The Bank Loan Market is tightening.

By Ken Altena, Billboard Loans LLC. I track the Federal Reserve Senior Loan Officer Survey on Bank Lending Practices to determine if credit is tight or loose.  Banks have been tightening their lending standards for small firms (revenue less than $50 million) for four consecutive quarters due to recession fears.  […]

Billboard Lending

Dave Westburg on Billboard Lending

Jim Johnsen of Johnsen Fretty interviewed Dave Westburg of Billboard Loans about billboard lending.  We’ve reproduced the interview below. Dave, you’ve done a terrific job building Billboard Insider into a great source of information.  I enjoy reading it first thing each morning.  I feel very honored to sit in your seat […]

Billboard Lending

Avoid the Equipment Leasing Death Penalty

Almost all equipment leasing companies except Billboard Loans have prepayment penalties. Sometimes the prepayment penalties are called yield maintenance clauses. Sometimes the prepayment penalty is a fixed % of the lease amount (5% in year 1, 4% in year 2, 3% in year 3…). The death penalty prepayment clause says […]

Billboard Lending

8 Items Your Outdoor Lender Wants

I take at least a phone call a week from a small outdoor company looking for financing. Sometimes the process drags on because the outdoor company doesn’t have the information Insider needs to evaluate the loan request. Here’s the information you should put together before you approach a lender. By […]

Billboard Lending

Limit Outdoor Debt to 3X Gross Revenue

3 times annualized revenues is a reasonable debt limit for most small billboard companies. Here’s why. If you borrow less than 3 times gross revenue, your plant will be worth more than debt even if revenues drop and multiples contract during a recession. Industry revenues declined 20% during the 2008-2009 […]