Bank-Ready Teaser

Bank-Ready Teaser (PL): Six Elements That Speed Up Bank Decisions

When an advisor or broker approaches a bank with an SME deal, the first impression is rarely about price. It’s about clarity. Can the credit team quickly understand what the business is, how it makes money, why the deal exists, and how the loan would realistically be repaid?

In the Polish market in particular, this first step works best when it’s done through a short, bank-ready teaser in Polish. Not a full information memorandum, not a marketing deck — but a disciplined 1–2 page document that speaks the language of a credit analyst.

I approach deals as a lead buyer, staying responsible for the business after closing, using a mix of my own financial resources, bank financing and, where appropriate, co-investors. From that perspective, a clean teaser is not a formality. It’s often the difference between a deal moving forward in weeks instead of months — or not moving at all.

This article breaks down the six elements that make a teaser genuinely bank-ready in Poland, and why each of them matters.

Why banks need a different kind of teaser

Many brokers send banks what is essentially an owner’s presentation: long descriptions, optimistic growth stories, and scattered numbers. From the bank’s side, this creates friction.

A credit department is trying to answer a few very specific questions, very quickly:

• What kind of company is this, and is it within our lending appetite?

• Do the historical numbers support stable debt service?

• What exactly is the transaction, and why is it happening?

• Where does loan repayment come from?

• Who stands behind the deal if things go wrong?

A bank-ready teaser is designed to answer those questions with minimal noise. It does not try to sell the upside. It tries to establish credibility and coherence.

What “bank-ready” actually means

“Bank-ready” does not mean perfect or exhaustive. It means:

• short enough to be read in one sitting;

• written in Polish, using familiar banking terms;

• internally consistent — numbers match, logic holds;

• realistic about leverage, risk and constraints.

In practice, this usually means 1–2 pages covering six tightly defined blocks.

The six elements of a bank-ready teaser (PL)

1. Company profile: what this business really is

The first block should orient the reader in seconds.

At minimum, it should include:

• Sector and activity: what the company actually does, in plain language.

• Scale: revenue range, EBITDA range, number of employees.

• Geography: where operations and customers are located.

• Business model: B2B/B2C, recurring vs project-based, key drivers.

This is not the place for history or storytelling. One short paragraph is enough.

From a bank’s point of view, this answers a simple filter: does this look like something we normally finance?

2. Financial snapshot: 3–5 years, no surprises

The second block is the backbone of the teaser.

Banks expect to see a compact financial history, typically:

• revenue for the last 3–5 years;

• EBITDA and EBITDA margin;

• basic trend commentary (stable, growing, volatile).

A simple table often works best.

What matters most is not the absolute size, but consistency:

• Do revenue and EBITDA move in a way that makes sense together?

• Are margins within a reasonable band over time?

• Are there obvious spikes that need explanation?

If numbers jump around without context, the teaser raises questions instead of answering them.

3. Deal purpose and structure: why this transaction exists

This is where many teasers become vague — and where banks lose confidence.

A bank-ready teaser should state clearly:

• Deal purpose: succession, full buyout, partial exit, partner entry.

• Enterprise Value (EV): indicative range, not a final price.

• Structure: equity vs debt split, and why it looks that way.

• Special elements: vendor loan, earn-out, rollover, if applicable.

The goal is not to lock terms. The goal is to show that the structure has been thought through and is not arbitrary.

For a credit team, this answers: what exactly are we being asked to finance, and why does it make sense?

4. Cash flow and leverage: can the business carry debt?

This is often the most important section for the bank.

Even in a teaser, it helps to include a high-level view of:

• Debt / EBITDA before and after the transaction (indicative).

• DSCR logic: how comfortably cash flow covers debt service.

• Working capital behaviour: stable, seasonal, or structurally heavy.

No one expects a full model at this stage. But a bank will quickly assess whether:

• leverage is within a reasonable range for the sector;

• there is a buffer, not just a perfect-case scenario;

• the business is not already stretched.

If this section is missing or hand-waved, the teaser often goes no further.

5. Collateral and security: what supports the loan

Banks also want to know what stands behind the numbers.

A concise teaser should list, at a high level:

• Real estate, if any (owned vs leased).

• Equipment or machinery with material value.

• Other assets: inventory, receivables, IP (where relevant).

• Guarantees: personal or corporate, if expected.

This does not need legal detail. It simply shows that the advisor understands how the bank thinks about downside protection.

6. Buyer / sponsor profile: who is actually behind the deal

Finally, banks look closely at who they are lending alongside.

A strong teaser briefly explains:

• who the buyer or sponsor is;

• relevant experience with similar businesses or situations;

• level of own capital committed to the transaction;

• role after closing (active oversight, board role, transition period).

From a bank’s perspective, this is about credibility and alignment. A clear, realistic sponsor profile often makes the difference between hesitation and engagement.

Why this structure speeds things up

When these six blocks are present and coherent, several things happen:

• The credit analyst can quickly form a first opinion.

• Fewer clarification emails are needed.

• The case reaches decision-makers faster.

• Banks can indicate a financing corridor earlier.

• Co-investors find it easier to assess fit.

In contrast, a teaser that mixes marketing language with unclear numbers usually triggers weeks of back-and-forth — or silence.

A note on language: why Polish matters

Even when everyone involved speaks English, Polish banks think in Polish.

A teaser written in Polish:

• reduces friction inside the credit department;

• avoids misunderstandings in terminology;

• signals respect for the process and the institution.

It does not need to be stylistically perfect. It needs to be clear, factual and disciplined.

What this is not

A bank-ready teaser is not:

• a replacement for an information memorandum;

• a valuation pitch;

• a growth story deck.

It is a filter document. Its job is to get the deal onto the bank’s desk — not to close it.

For Advisors and Brokers Preparing SME Deals

If you regularly bring SME transactions to banks or investors, it’s worth treating this six-block structure as a checklist. Before sending anything out, ask yourself: can all of this fit clearly into two pages, and does it still make sense?

If you’d like more practical notes on how deals are actually prepared, screened and financed in the lower mid-market, you can subscribe to the weekly field notes on my site — short, buy-side perspectives focused on process, not promotion.

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