Why Do Letters of Credit (LCs) Reduce Revolver Availability?

Hi there,

According to the R&P book, LCs reduce revolver facility availability Can anybody explain why?

(My thought process was that the LC reduces the revolver because the lender is already going to be providing you with capital per the LC and therefore the revolver is reduced in available capital to lend)

Thanks guys!

10 Comments
 

You can't just go issuing LCs willy-nilly....

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 

What is the difference between a letter of credit and the revolver itself? I know they reduce revolver availability, but I'm not understanding what the purpose is. What benefit does issuing an LoC have over just drawing from the revolver?

Only reason I can think of is that using an LoC wouldn't accrue interest in the same way as a revolver draw, but idk 

 

Previous sa in LF so I can say that one, interest accrues differently (and at diff rates), and purpose is different as RCFs are more for short term (sometimes emergency) financing needs and are usually left undrawn at end of period, and wouldn’t be able to fill a bigger project’s financing needs. I’m sure there’s more but that’s my 0.02.

 
Most Helpful

Itaque repudiandae et ullam dignissimos molestias fugiat omnis. Rem incidunt harum accusantium corporis sapiente ea. Placeat sunt dolores aliquid ratione nam et. Officia qui asperiores enim reprehenderit perferendis aperiam ipsum. Commodi distinctio totam est temporibus aut. Voluptatem sint voluptas deleniti quis tempore repellendus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”