Workout as a Service
Areté is an outsourced workout bench for lenders and credit funds managing distressed exposure. We take operational authority inside the borrower, stabilize the situation, and lead the loan to its best possible outcome.
We step inside the borrower, take operational authority, and lead the loan to recovery
Areté’s Workout as a Service practice operates as an extension of the lender’s workout team. We take operational authority inside the borrower, assess reality quickly, stabilize liquidity, and lead the business toward the outcome that protects the loan. Our operators have run distressed companies and sat across the table from lenders. That perspective lets us move faster, communicate cleaner, and hold accountability for the result rather than the recommendation.
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A borrower is on the watch list and internal workout resources are stretched
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Covenant defaults are imminent and the forbearance clock is running
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The management team has lost credibility and the reporting has gone dark
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A CRO or operating partner needs to be in the seat inside the borrower, not another advisor on the sideline
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Recovery optionality is narrowing and the loan needs an independent operator accountable for the outcome
Inside the borrower. Beside the lender.
Assessment
An independent, unflinching diagnostic across operations, liquidity, governance, and management. The output is a clear-eyed read of recovery paths, not a theoretical plan.
- 13-week cash flow & liquidity validation
- Operating performance & cost structure diagnostic
- Management, governance, and reporting credibility review
- Recovery scenario analysis: going-concern, sale, liquidation
Stabilization
We install the disciplines that stop the bleeding and restore credibility. Cash gets controlled, reporting gets rebuilt, and the lender relationship gets clear lines of communication.
- Cash preservation and liquidity controls installed
- Lender reporting cadence rebuilt and protected
- Operational triage across revenue, working capital, and cost
- Vendor, customer, and workforce continuity
Recovery & Execution
We take the seat inside the borrower and run the plan against weekly milestones. Decisions land. Course corrections happen on the data, not on the deck.
- CRO, interim CEO, or interim CFO in the seat
- Turnaround plan execution against weekly milestones
- Amendment, waiver, and forbearance management
- Strategic alternatives: sale, refinancing, recapitalization, Chapter 11
Exit
Every workout ends. Our job is to shape how it ends. We lead the transaction or the process that closes the loop, then hand off cleanly to permanent leadership.
- Sale process leadership and buyer diligence response
- Chapter 11 and 363 sale leadership where required
- Post-close stabilization and hand-off
- Lender recovery maximization and full documentation
Why Areté for Workout as a Service
Operators, Not Advisors
Our team has run distressed businesses and worked alongside lenders from inside the borrower. We act on the loan's behalf with operating authority, not memos.
An Extension of the Lender's Team
We work as a seamless extension of workout, credit, and special assets teams. Clean reporting. Clear communication. Accountable for the outcome, not the hours.
Decision Authority Inside the Borrower
We take the title that lets us act: CRO, CEO, CFO, board seat. The loan's interests are represented by an operator who can implement, not observe.
Outcomes Over Hours
Our success is defined by what changes in the loan's outcome, not by the volume of deliverables, memos, or hours produced along the way.