The banking pool is the set of financing and financial services used by a company, typically spread across several institutions: credit facilities, loans, trade discounting, confirming, guarantees, leasing, renting and other similar lines.
When this pool grows in a disorganised way, three common problems tend to emerge: visibility over the real cost of each product is lost, guarantees are duplicated or become “untracked” over time, and maturities cluster around specific dates, creating renewal risks or liquidity pressures. Bringing order to it is not a bureaucratic exercise, but a way of turning debt and financing lines into a manageable and predictable system.
The first step is to draw up a single inventory in a standardised format. For each line, the following data should be recorded: the institution, the product, the approved limit, the drawn balance, the interest rate, the fees (arrangement, non-utilisation, review, early repayment), the term, the key review or renewal dates and its actual purpose.
The second step is to organise maturities into an operational calendar. It is not enough to know that a facility “matures in 12 months”; it is essential to identify the exact date on which the bank reviews, renews or requires repayment. For credit facilities and trade discounting, the main risk lies not in the final maturity but in the annual renewal. For loans, the risk tends to concentrate around repayment peaks or a final bullet maturity. This calendar can be used to build a “renewal curve” that makes it possible to detect risk concentrations.
The third step is to map guarantees as if they were a critical asset. Personal guarantees, mortgage guarantees and pledges over balances or assets should all be classified, and it is important to document which guarantee backs each product and for what amount. At this stage, many SMEs discover that the same guarantee is tied to several transactions, or that it remains in force even though the associated financing no longer delivers value.
The fourth step is to measure concentration risk from two angles: by institution and by product. By institution, it is worth calculating what percentage of the total approved limit and drawn balance depends on each bank. By product, it is important to avoid mismatches such as financing working capital with instruments designed for investment, or vice versa, as these imbalances typically translate into higher costs or tensions at renewal.
The fifth step is to design a restructuring and negotiation plan. It is advisable to start with measures that reduce risk without increasing cost, such as staggering renewals, diversifying institutions where concentration is high, and aligning products with their actual use (working capital with working capital financing, investment with appropriate tenors).
A well-organised banking pool delivers three key benefits: real visibility over financial costs, stability in renewals and greater capacity to respond to changes in the conditions set by financial institutions.
Taking the next step is easier with specialist support. The Galician Economic Office is here to help with personalised advice and free resources to help your business grow.
