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Affordable housing & LIHTC

Interest rate hedging for affordable housing and 4% LIHTC bond deals

Evercrest is the independent hedging advisor for affordable housing developers. We structure and price the caps and swaps that 4% LIHTC tax-exempt bond transactions might require, negotiate your ISDA, and make sure you are not overpaying the bank.

Overview

Rate risk from pricing to conversion.

Most 4% LIHTC deals carry interest rate risk from the day the bonds price to the day the loan converts. A lender may require a hedge, and many borrowers want one even when it is not required. The instrument might be a rate cap during construction, a forward-starting swap to lock the permanent rate, or both. Each one is priced by a bank that sits on the other side of the trade, and the ISDA that documents it is not standard, despite what the bank may tell you. An independent advisor changes the economics. We break the bank's pricing into its components, negotiate the credit charge, and routinely save borrowers basis points on the all-in rate, which on a multiyear financing is real money returned to the deal.

Whether you are a repeat developer with a pipeline or closing your first tax-exempt bond deal, we bring the same process: understand the asset plan and the bond structure, recommend the right hedge, run a competitive or negotiated procurement, and hold the bank to a fair, transparent number at closing.

What we do

Built for 4% LIHTC bond deals.

Construction-period rate caps

Sized and priced to the lender's requirements.

Forward-starting swaps

Lock the permanent rate ahead of conversion.

ISDA negotiation

Protect your non-recourse structure in the documentation.

Procurement & pricing

Competitive bids and mid checks.

Cap and swap analysis

Model both against your asset plan and recommend the fit.

Hedge accounting

Effectiveness testing under ASC 815/820 where needed.

Common questions

Questions, answered.

Do I need a hedge on a 4% LIHTC bond deal?
Usually yes. The lender typically requires a cap or swap to manage rate risk between pricing and conversion.
Cap or swap, which is right for my deal?
It depends on term, prepayment plans, and cost. We model both against your asset plan and recommend the better fit.
Can you save me money even if the swap is with my lender?
Yes. Even on a single-lender swap, the credit charge and terms are negotiable, and we routinely improve them.

Closing a 4% LIHTC bond deal?

Get a read before you sign.