Key Deal Terms – Fall 2020
GF Data collects and publishes proprietary business valuation, volume, leverage and key deal term data contributed by over 200 lower-middle market private equity groups and other M&A deal sponsors. Two of the acquisition deal terms that they monitor are the survival period¹ on general reps and warranties and the cap on indemnification² against breaches of general reps and warranties. The following table shows these limits for deals in the $10 million to $25 million enterprise value range.
The indemnity cap in the first six months of this year across all industries was 10.0% of the purchase price, well below the 17.1% average from 2015 to present. The indemnification period was 20.8 months, up slightly from the 2015-to-present average of 18.8 months.
- Indemnification cap refers to the general indemnification provided by the seller to the buyer against breaches of reps and warranties. This does not include carveouts for specific issues or items. For example, parties often agree that the general cap will not apply in the event of fraud.
- Survival period refers to the period after closing during which a buyer may assert a breach of the reps and warranties against seller. Again, this does not include carveouts. For example, exposure on tax, environmental, and ERISA issues often exceeds the general survival period.
For assistance with selling a lower middle market business, contact Al Statz in Exit Strategies Group’s Sonoma County California office at 707-781-8580 or alstatz@exitstrategiesgroup.com. Exit Strategies Group, Inc. is a partner in the Cornerstone International Alliance.
