WorkflowPrivate Credit & Direct Lending

Loan Tape Validation

Loan tape validation that ties every cell to its clause — not a sample of files

Mismatches and double-pledged assets flagged before the fund funds.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo362of 384cells on a 48-loan tape pinned to the clause that sets them — every term checked, no sample
demo$34.4Mless than the tape implies — the price the documents support on a $562.8M par secondary purchase
demo2loansstill pledged to the seller’s financing lender, caught in the UCC filings and agent’s registers
demo67minfrom the tape arriving to a drafted schedule of exceptions with 22 cited items
In short

What is Loan Tape Validation?

Checking a seller’s or borrower’s loan tape against the documents behind it — the credit agreement and every amendment, the agent’s register and the lien filings — before a fund buys or lends. Loan Tape Validation does it for every term on every loan, and pins each cell to the clause that sets it.

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Updated

The problem

Why a loan tape gets bought at the wrong price

A fund buying a loan portfolio, or lending against one, prices it off the seller’s loan tape: one row per loan with balance, benchmark, spread, floor, maturity, collateral and lien position. The tape is a summary somebody typed. The truth sits in the credit agreement and every amendment after it, in the administrative agent’s register and in the lien filings — and today a diligence team reads only a sample of them.

Middle-market loans are amended often: repricings, covenant resets, add-on acquisitions, amend-and-extends. A seller’s system that missed one carries the old margin, floor or maturity forward. And a loan already pledged to the seller’s own financing lender looks exactly like a clean loan on a tape. Those breaks get bought at the tape’s price and surface after a loss.

typical3–5daysto prepare a loan tape by hand today
demo5loanson the sample tape repriced by amendment and still carried at the old margin
demo7of 22breaches never move the price, yet still belong in the purchase agreement
Where a tape’s diligence days goestimated
By hand11.5 days
With the solution1.9 days
  • Cleaning and mapping the seller’s tape3 → 0.1 d
  • Reading credit agreements and amendments4 → 0.5 d
  • Tying tape values to the documents2 → 0.5 d
  • UCC searches and agent’s registers1 → 0.3 d
  • Repricing and the schedule of exceptions1.5 → 0.5 d

Estimated split for one secondary purchase tape, by hand and with the solution. Days of the diligence team’s time.

How it works

How a tape moves

Six specialist agents pin every cell of the tape to its clause; the diligence lead signs and underwriting approves.

What comes in
Tape and data room in48 loans · 384 cells · tape, agreements, amendments, registers, filings
Agents at work
Tape reader61 columns → 8 terms
Then
Document reader
Field checker
Lien and pledge checker
Then
Pricing agent
Then
Schedule writerSchedule 4.1(k)
A person decides
Diligence leadsigns; underwriting approves
What comes out
Verified price
Schedule of exceptions
Pledge flags
One case, step by step

One tape, from received to approved

Halyard Creek Credit Opportunities Fund II is buying 48 senior secured loans from Redfern Capital Lending Fund I at 97.25 on $562,786,450 par. Tape v3 arrived Friday at 18:05; the investment committee sits Wednesday and closing is Friday 16 October. Here is the diligence, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 01Monday 08:12

    The tape itself is the screen

    Elena Marchetti · Director, ABF and loan diligence

    Elena opens Redfern’s tape as the seller sent it: 48 rows, eight checked terms per loan, 384 cells. Each cell carries a pin to its clause; 350 are pinned, 12 differ only in format, 20 glow red and 2 glow amber. Beside the grid, the run log shows what the six agents did on Friday evening.

    Field checker, 18:52: “tied 384 cells: 362 pinned to a clause, 20 contradicted, 2 resting on an amendment nobody delivered.”

  2. 02Sorted by exposure

    The largest loan has the wrong maturity

    Elena Marchetti · Director, ABF and loan diligence

    She sorts by exposure. Halvorsen Fire & Life Safety, $18.41M par, sits on top — and its maturity cell is red. The tape says 15 Jun 2031. One click opens the page that decides it: the Second Amendment of 9 Apr 2025, §2.1(b), page 3, restated the Maturity Date as June 15, 2029, in return for a covenant reset.

    Field checker: “The Second Amendment of 9 Apr 2025 brought the maturity forward two years in return for the covenant reset. The tape still carries the original date.”

  3. 03The credit file

    How the terms got here, amendment by amendment

    Document reader

    Halvorsen’s credit file lays out the five documents read in full, in date order: the 188-page credit agreement of 15 Jun 2023, the First Amendment consenting to the Ridgeline Sprinkler acquisition, the Second Amendment, the guarantee and collateral agreement and Northbeam’s register at 30 Sep 2026. Seven of the eight terms tie; the maturity is item 16 on the schedule.

  4. 04Next break

    A repricing the seller’s system missed

    Field checker

    Copperline Veterinary Group’s spread shows S + 600 on the tape. The Second Amendment of 14 Feb 2025, §2.2, page 8, set the Applicable Margin at 5.25% for Term SOFR loans. Five loans on this tape were repriced by amendment and carried forward at the old margin — two of them with a lower floor as well.

    “Repriced from 600 to 525 bps on 14 Feb 2025. The tape carries the margin before the repricing.”

  5. 05Title checked

    Two loans the seller cannot sell free and clear

    Lien and pledge checker

    The tape marks every loan free to transfer. The agent searched Delaware filings against Redfern and its SPV to 7 Oct 2026: Ironwood Credit Funding II’s UCC-1 (DE 2025 1487322) still covers Kingsferry Logistics and Wexley Home Health, lines 14 and 27 of Schedule B to its partial release of 12 Jan 2026. Quillstone and Northbeam record Ironwood as pledgee on both positions.

    The lien and pledge checker never clears a loan with another secured party on record.

  6. 06Not in the data room

    A term resting on an amendment nobody delivered

    Field checker

    Brightcourt Learning’s spread glows amber. The agent’s notice of 14 Jul 2026 refers to a Third Amendment dated as of June 30, 2026, but the data room holds only two amendments for the loan. Umberleigh Infusion Centers has the same gap. Neither is assumed either way; both are marked not delivered.

    A missing document is never assumed — the cell stays amber until the amendment arrives.

  7. 07Drafted Friday 19:12

    Every break, written as contract language

    Schedule writer

    Schedule 4.1(k) to the Loan Portfolio Purchase Agreement is already drafted: Part A, 3 excluded loans; Part B, 10 price adjustments; Part C, 2 holdbacks; Part D, 7 disclosed with no price change. Each item names the loan, the term, the tape value, the document value and the clause, with the page.

    “Every item is the clause, not an opinion: counsel can check each one against the page it cites.”

  8. 08Priced

    From the tape price to the verified price

    Pricing agent

    At 97.25 the tape implies $547,309,823. The documents support $512,928,540 — $34,381,283 less: three loans excluded under §2.1(c), four bought at the agent’s balance, five repricings priced under §2.4(b) and Saltmarsh’s last-out position at 93.00. Brightcourt and Umberleigh, $19,989,738, are held back, leaving $492,938,802 paid at closing.

  9. 09Signed

    The diligence lead signs the findings

    Elena Marchetti · Director, ABF and loan diligence

    Elena signs that tape v3 was checked in full: 384 terms on 48 loans, 362 pinned to their clause and 22 exceptions set out in Schedule 4.1(k), with the tape price, verified price, holdback and amount paid at closing in front of her as she signs.

    “I have reviewed every exception and its document.”

  10. 10Approved

    Cleared to close at the verified price

    Daniel Okafor · Head of underwriting

    The findings go to Daniel for approval. He approves the purchase at $512,928,540, cleared to sign the purchase agreement with Schedule 4.1(k). Kingsferry, Wexley and Burnham stay with Redfern; the holdback is released when Brightcourt’s and Umberleigh’s amendments arrive.

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who touches a loan tape.

The same tape, seen by the four people who carry the deal — what their week looked like, and what it looks like now.

EM
Elena MarchettiDirector, ABF and loan diligence
Diligence lead
Before
Works from the seller’s tape and the sample of loan files the team has time to read before the investment committee sits.
Now
Starts from a tape where every cell is pinned to its page or glowing red, and spends her time on the 22 that do not tie.
DO
Daniel OkaforHead of underwriting
Approver
Before
Approves purchases up to $750M, priced off the seller’s tape and whatever the diligence sample happened to catch.
Now
Sees the walk from tape price to verified price, every adjustment tied to its schedule item, and approves on that.
SL
Sophie LindqvistPortfolio manager
Portfolio manager
Before
Owns the loans after closing, and inherits any margin, floor or maturity the tape got wrong.
Now
Takes over loans whose terms are already as amended, and each month’s agent statements are checked against the same documents.
RC
Ravi ChandranSettlement and agent’s registers
Loan operations
Before
Loads the data rooms and agent’s registers for settlement, with no single view of which documents are missing or contradict the tape.
Now
Sees every document behind every loan in the data room, what contradicts the tape, and what was never delivered.
Built on the engine

6 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Six specialist agents pin every cell of the tape to its clause; the diligence lead signs and underwriting approves.

Tape reader

Reads the seller’s tape in whatever layout it arrives and maps its columns to the eight terms checked against documents: balance, benchmark, margin, floor, maturity, collateral, lien position and title.

  • Never edits the seller’s tape — any change is shown beside it
  • Keeps the descriptive columns as sent
Document reader

Reads every credit agreement, amendment, security agreement and intercreditor paper in full, in date order, and builds each loan’s terms as amended.

  • Only executed documents decide a term
  • Cites section and page for every term
  • Notes any amendment referred to but missing from the data room
Field checker

Ties every cell on the tape to the clause that sets it, separates format differences from real ones, and marks cells whose deciding document was never delivered.

  • A format difference is never a breach
  • A missing document is never assumed
Lien and pledge checker

Searches UCC financing statements and releases against the seller and its vehicles, reads each release’s schedules, and reads the pledgee field on every agent’s register.

  • Never clears a loan with another secured party on record
Pricing agent

Applies the purchase agreement’s exclusions (§2.1(c)), price adjustments (§2.4) and holdbacks (§2.6) to every exception and computes the verified price, showing the arithmetic.

  • Never approves a purchase
  • Never moves money
Schedule writer

Drafts Schedule 4.1(k) — one numbered item per exception with loan, term, tape value, document value, clause and remedy, grouped by remedy — and the note to the seller.

  • Sends nothing to the seller unless the diligence lead says so
Diligence lead

Signs the findings; head of underwriting approves the purchase. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask about any loan, term or document

The diligence team can ask about any loan on the tape in plain words — or tell it what to send.

Why is Halvorsen’s maturity red?

The tape says 15 Jun 2031. The Second Amendment of 9 Apr 2025, §2.1(b), restated the Maturity Date as 15 Jun 2029 in return for a covenant reset. The seller’s system still carries the original date. It is item 16 on the schedule of exceptions.

Which loans are pledged to someone else?

Two: Kingsferry Logistics ($14,280,000) and Wexley Home Health ($9,765,400). Ironwood Credit Funding II’s UCC-1 (DE 2025 1487322) still covers them — its release of 12 Jan 2026 kept both on Schedule B. Both are excluded.

How much does the tape overstate the price?

At 97.25 the tape implies $547,309,823. The documents support $512,928,540 — $34,381,283 less: $31,147,911 for three excluded loans, $1,608,992 on balances, $1,137,330 for five repricings and $487,050 for a last-out position.

Which amendments were never delivered?

Two. Brightcourt Learning: the agent’s notice of 14 Jul 2026 cites a Third Amendment that changed the margin. Umberleigh Infusion Centers: the notice of 2 Sep 2026 cites a First Amendment of 21 Aug 2026 extending maturity. Both loans’ price is held back until they arrive.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

The loan tapeThe seller’s tape as the screen: every cell pinned to its clause, breaks in red, missing amendments in amber, and the agents’ run log beside it.
The clause behind a cellHalvorsen’s maturity: the tape against the Second Amendment, the clause on its page, and the term through every amendment.
The credit fileHow the terms got here, document by document, and the tape row against the agreement as amended.
A missed repricingCopperline’s margin cut from S + 600 to S + 525 by the Second Amendment, still at the old margin on the tape.
Pledged elsewhereIronwood’s UCC-1, its partial release and the agents’ registers: two loans still pledged, all 48 checked.
Not deliveredA term resting on an amendment the agent’s notice refers to but the data room does not hold.
Schedule of exceptionsSchedule 4.1(k) for the purchase agreement: excluded loans, price adjustments, holdbacks and disclosures, each with its clause.
Price on verified dataThe walk from the tape price to the verified price and the amount paid at closing, every step tied to the schedule.
Signing the findingsThe diligence lead signs that the tape was checked in full, with the prices in front of her.
ApprovedFindings signed, purchase approved by the head of underwriting, cleared to close at the verified price.
The data roomEvery document behind every loan: red where it contradicts the tape, amber where it was referred to but never delivered.
Deals in diligenceEvery tape being priced or lent against, how much is pinned, and owned portfolios re-checked against each month’s agent statements.
Your rulesMatching tolerances, how a breach is priced, which documents decide and who signs.
Governance

Built for diligence that holds up: cited, signed, on the record.

Every cell cites its clauseA pinned cell names the document, its date, the section and the page. Click it and the page opens beside the tape, with the value highlighted and the term’s history through every amendment.
Only executed documents decideThe latest executed amendment decides a term, then the credit agreement. A draft never does, and a term resting on an amendment that was never delivered stays amber until it arrives.
The seller’s tape is never editedThe tape stays exactly as it was sent. Where a cell does not tie, the tape’s value is struck through and the document’s value shown beneath it, so both sides can see what changed and why.
No pledged loan is clearedA loan with another secured party on record — in a UCC filing, a release schedule or an agent’s register — is excluded, not waved through.
People sign and approveThe agents propose. The diligence lead signs the findings and the head of underwriting approves the purchase. The agents never approve a purchase or move money.
Nothing goes to the seller unless sentThe schedule of exceptions reaches the seller’s counsel only when the diligence lead sends it. Every agent step and every decision is on the run log with who and when.
Configuration

Your purchase agreement’s rules, not ours

What counts as a match, which documents decide, how a breach is priced and who signs are settings, not a project.

SettingDefaultChoose from
Balance tolerance against the agent’s register$1,000Any amount, set with − and +
Margin and floorExactExact · Within 5 bps
Format differencesShown, never counted as breachesOn · Off
Spread lower than the tape§2.4(b) · cap 3 years§2.4(b) · cap 3 years, or §2.4(b) · cap 2 years
Last-out position93.0093.00 · 92.50 · 94.00
Second lien, or pledged to another lenderExcludedExcluded · Escalate to IC
Amendment not deliveredHold backHold back · Exclude
UCC search no older than, at signing10 days10 · 5 · 30 days
Connections

Works with the documents a deal already has

The seller’s loan tapeany layout — 61 columns on the sample tape
The deal’s data roomsynced every hour
Credit agreements and amendmentssecurity and intercreditor agreements too
Agent’s registers and noticesbalances, pledgees and rate notices at cut-off
UCC filing searchesfinancing statements, releases and their schedules
Purchase or facility agreementeligibility, pricing grid and holdback terms
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

target
100%
of terms tied to their clause, not a sample
384 of 384 cells checked
on Redfern tape v3
target
0
double-pledged loans bought
2 of 2 flagged
pledged to Ironwood on Redfern v3
typical
3–5days
to prepare a tape by hand today
TodayWith agents

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample deal · “estimated” = our estimate · “typical” = published figures (V7 Labs — tape preparation takes 3–5 days). Tape cracking as normalise, validate and reconcile: Cascade Debt and Arcesium. People, funds, companies and loans named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What diligence and underwriting teams ask us.

What is loan tape validation?

Checking a seller’s or borrower’s loan tape against the documents behind it — the credit agreement and every amendment, the agent’s register and the lien filings — before a fund buys or lends. Loan Tape Validation does it for every term on every loan, and pins each cell to the clause that sets it.

How is it different from loan tape cracking?

Tape cracking normalises the tape, validates it and reconciles it, version after version. Loan Tape Validation does that mapping too, then goes on to the source documents: each value is tied to the executed clause, with section and page, and the cells that do not tie become a priced schedule of exceptions.

Does it read every loan file, or a sample?

Every one. On the sample deal the agents read 229 documents behind 48 loans — 48 credit agreements, 83 amendments, 48 security agreements, 48 agent’s registers and 2 intercreditor papers — and checked all 384 cells on the tape.

How does it catch double-pledged loans?

The lien and pledge checker searches UCC financing statements and releases against the seller and its vehicles, reads each release’s schedules, and reads the pledgee field on every agent’s register. A loan with another secured party on record is excluded, never cleared.

What happens when an amendment is missing from the data room?

The cell is marked not delivered, not assumed either way. By default the loan’s price is held back until the amendment arrives, and you can ask the seller for the missing documents from the data room screen.

Can we use it for borrowing base and warehouse facilities?

Yes. The deals screen holds secondary purchases, back-leverage facilities and warehouse lines side by side, and owned portfolios are re-checked each month as new agent statements arrive.

Do people stay in control?

Yes. The agents never edit the seller’s tape, never approve a purchase and never move money. The schedule goes to the seller’s counsel only when the diligence lead sends it; the diligence lead signs the findings and the head of underwriting approves the purchase.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements — your purchase and facility agreements, pricing grid and a sample tape with its data room — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will walk you through it on one of your own past deals first.

See it on
your next tape.

We’ll run Loan Tape Validation on a tape and data room from one of your own past deals.