Debt Covenants

Debt covenants are essentially rules written into the loan documents which govern the behaviour of a borrower once the debt is issued. There are 2 general types of covenants which either permit (affirmative covenant) or restrict (negative covenant) the borrower’s ability to perform certain actions. Should the borrower break a covenant, the lender typically has the legal right to call back the loan (i.e. demand repayment).