Guarantee: corporate guarantor
Guarantee to be given by a company to a lender in respect of a corporate borrower’s obligations under a loan agreement – requiring a corporate guarantor.
Background
A lender may require that a corporate borrower’s obligations are guaranteed by another person, a guarantor. The guarantor could be:
- another company, including the borrower’s parent company, a subsidiary of the borrower or subsidiary of the borrower’s parent company
- an individual, including one of the company’s directors or shareholders
What is a guarantee?
A guarantee is an undertaking by one person (the guarantor) to perform an obligation of another person (a borrower or other debtor), given in favour of the person to whom that obligation is owed (the beneficiary).
A guarantee is what is known as a “secondary” obligation – this means that the guarantor is only liable if the borrower or debtor has failed to perform the “primary” obligation, which is the obligation of the borrower or debtor which has been guaranteed.
In the context of a loan agreement, a guarantee is an undertaking from the guarantor to the lender that the borrower will perform the borrower’s obligations under the loan agreement, the most relevant obligation being to repay the loan and interest. If the borrower does not pay, the guarantor will perform the obligation itself and make the payment instead of the borrower.
Why are guarantees also given as indemnities?
Guarantees are almost always drafted both as a guarantee and as an indemnity. Unlike a guarantee, an indemnity is a “primary” obligation – it is an undertaking from one person (the guarantor) to pay the beneficiary if the beneficiary suffers loss as a consequence of a specified event. In the case of an indemnity which is part of a guarantee for a loan, the specified event is the non-payment of the loan or other breach of the loan agreement.
As a primary obligation of the guarantor, the indemnity is independent of the obligations of the debtor or borrower. An indemnity should, unlike a guarantee, remain in effect should the underlying loan agreement or equivalent transaction be set aside or if the borrower is somehow discharged from its obligations under the loan agreement.
What are the formalities of a guarantee?
A guarantee must be in writing and signed by the guarantor (or the guarantor’s agent). It is usual also for a guarantee to be executed as a deed, to avoid an argument that it lacks contractual consideration.
About this Guarantee: corporate guarantor
This Guarantee (corporate guarantor) is for a company to guarantee the obligations under a loan agreement of another company. It is suitable where both guarantor and the borrower are companies incorporated in England and Wales.
Document features
Features include:
- 14 clauses over 6 pages
- In the form of a Deed
- Guarantee undertakings are given by way of both guarantee and indemnity
- Usual creditor protections for the continuing effect of the guarantee
Explanatory guidance
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