RE: Todays meeting8 Mar 2023 11:26
Having reflected on the comments from the Board, here are my opinions:
1. Large investments banks and PE firms are not considering underwriting the whole 45m. This is due to current market conditions, the impact of the affordability criteria currently used by RewardRate and the consumer duty legislation that is to be enacted.
2. The most likely investor here appears to be family offices/ groups of UHNW individuals.
3. The scheme terms CAN be changed/new scheme can be drawn up, however, it is very unlikely to be changed in time by the timeframes currently dictated by SOA2. There isn't enough time to go through the process of drawing up a new scheme, getting court approval and/or getting the FCA onside by end of May.
4. Basically, the management team are powerless here to change the situation - it all comes down to whether some UHNW investors/family offices are willing to take the risk. Even if they do (Jonathan Roe's own words here) the climate for mid-cost lending at this point is quite poor in the short term.
It's nothing more than a punt now. Good luck to all investors.