Banks back DirectMoney
Marketplace lender DirectMoney is soaking up equity and debt capital to accelerate growth, with at least three banks now providing wholesale funding.On Friday the firm set out plans to sell A$5.7 million in new shares via a one for two non-renounceable rights issue. The shares will be sold at 4.2 cents each, a discount of 0.3 cents.The non-bank lender is also in the midst of negotiating two "loan funding" facilities with banks.It said it signed a non-binding term sheet with "a major Australian financial institution" for a $20 million loan, a line of credit foreshadowed in an ASX announcement last month.The lender said it was also in negotiations with "another large institution" regarding a "similar" facility.DirectMoney already has one such facility in place with Macquarie Bank, which is also the firm's corporate adviser.These facilities, it said, "can provide $20 million to $70 million in capacity with loan sales in tranches of $5 million."Of the equity capital raised under the right issue, Direct Money said it would apply $3 million to lending, $1.8 million to working capital and $300,000 to marketing. Some of the marketing spend would be allocated to radio and television.Bell Potter Securities will underwrite the share sales with Adcock Private Equity as sub-underwriter. DirectMoney put the level of loans "owned or under management" at $13.7 million at the end of May 2016. None of these loans are impaired.It said it had advanced 896 loans worth $17.6 million at an average rate of 12.7 per cent since getting into business two years ago.