Debt

Long-term debt consisted of the following:



	September 30, 2018			December 31, 2017
	(thousands)
Asset-based revolving credit facility	$	—		$	—
Asset-based credit facility term loan due 2022	50,000			50,000
Term loan due 2026	45,000			45,000
5.625% senior notes due 2024	350,000			350,000
Deferred financing costs	(5,851		)	(6,688		)
Long-term debt	$	439,149		$	438,312

Asset-Based Credit Facility

On May 15, 2015, Boise Cascade and its principal operating subsidiaries, Boise Cascade Wood Products, L.L.C., and Boise Cascade Building Materials Distribution, L.L.C., as borrowers, and Boise Cascade Wood Products Holdings Corp., as guarantor, entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, as amended, (Amended Agreement) with Wells Fargo Capital Finance, LLC, as administrative agent, and the banks named therein as lenders. The Amended Agreement includes a $370 million senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (Revolving Credit Facility) and a $50.0 million term loan (ABL Term Loan) maturing on May 1, 2022. Interest on borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and ABL Term Loan are payable monthly. Borrowings under the Amended Agreement are constrained by a borrowing base formula dependent upon levels of eligible receivables and inventory reduced by outstanding borrowings and letters of credit (Availability).

The Amended Agreement is secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all of our assets, except for property and equipment. The proceeds of borrowings under the agreement are available for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The Amended Agreement contains customary nonfinancial covenants, including a negative pledge covenant and restrictions on new indebtedness, investments, distributions to equity holders, asset sales, and affiliate transactions, the scope of which are dependent on the Availability existing from time to time. The Amended Agreement also contains a requirement that we meet a 1:1 fixed-charge coverage ratio (FCCR), applicable only if Availability falls below 10% of the aggregate revolving lending commitments (or $37 million). Availability exceeded the minimum threshold amounts required for testing of the FCCR at all times since entering into the Amended Agreement, and Availability at September 30, 2018, was $365.4 million.

The Amended Agreement permits us to pay dividends only if at the time of payment (i) no default has occurred or is continuing (or would result from such payment) under the Amended Agreement, and (ii) pro forma Excess Availability (as defined in the Amended Agreement) is equal to or exceeds 25% of the aggregate Revolver Commitments (as defined in the Amended Agreement) or (iii) (x) pro forma Excess Availability is equal to or exceeds 15% of the aggregate Revolver Commitment and (y) our fixed-charge coverage ratio is greater than or equal to 1:1 on a pro forma basis.

Revolving Credit Facility

Interest rates under the Revolving Credit Facility are based, at our election, on either LIBOR or a base rate, as defined in the Amended Agreement, plus a spread over the index elected that ranges from 1.25% to 1.75% for loans based on LIBOR and from 0.25% to 0.75% for loans based on the base rate. The spread is determined on the basis of a pricing grid that results in a higher spread as average quarterly Availability declines. Letters of credit are subject to a fronting fee payable to the issuing bank and a fee payable to the lenders equal to the LIBOR margin rate. In addition, we are required to pay an unused commitment fee at a rate of 0.25% per annum of the average unused portion of the lending commitments.

At both September 30, 2018, and December 31, 2017, we had no borrowings outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and $4.6 million and $5.9 million, respectively, of letters of credit outstanding. These letters of credit and borrowings, if any, reduce Availability under the Revolving Credit Facility by an equivalent amount. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the minimum and maximum borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility were zero and $3.7 million, respectively, and the average interest rate on borrowings was approximately 3.12%.

ABL Term Loan

The ABL Term Loan was provided by institutions within the Farm Credit system. Borrowings under the ABL Term Loan may be repaid from time to time at the discretion of the borrowers without premium or penalty. However, any principal amount of ABL Term Loan repaid may not be subsequently re-borrowed.

Interest rates under the ABL Term Loan are based, at our election, on either LIBOR or a base rate, as defined in the Amended Agreement, plus a spread over the index elected that ranges from 1.75% to 2.25% for LIBOR rate loans and from 0.75% to 1.25% for base rate loans, both dependent on the amount of Average Excess Availability (as defined in the Amended Agreement). During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the average interest rate on the ABL Term Loan was approximately 3.62%.

We have received and expect to continue receiving patronage credits under the ABL Term Loan. Patronage credits are distributions of profits from banks in the Farm Credit system, which are cooperatives that are required to distribute profits to their members. Patronage distributions, which are generally made in cash, are received in the year after they are earned. Patronage credits are recorded as a reduction to interest expense in the year earned. After giving effect to expected patronage distributions, the effective average net interest rate on the ABL Term Loan was approximately 2.9% during the nine months ended September 30, 2018.

Term Loan

On March 30, 2016 (Closing Date), Boise Cascade and its principal operating subsidiaries, Boise Cascade Wood Products, L.L.C., and Boise Cascade Building Materials Distribution, L.L.C., as borrowers, and the guarantors party thereto, entered into a term loan agreement, as amended, (Term Loan Agreement) with American AgCredit, PCA, as administrative agent and sole lead arranger, and other banks in the Farm Credit system named therein as lenders. The Term Loan Agreement was for a $75.0 million secured term loan (Term Loan). The outstanding principal balance of the Term Loan amortizes and is payable in equal installments of $10 million per year on each of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth anniversaries of the Closing Date, with the remaining principal balance due and payable on March 30, 2026. In December 2016, we prepaid $30 million of the Term Loan, which became available to reborrow as discussed below. This prepayment satisfied our principal obligations due on the sixth, seventh, and eighth anniversaries of the Closing Date. Interest on our Term Loan is payable monthly.

The Term Loan Agreement allows us to prepay the Term Loan and subsequently reborrow amounts prepaid on or before December 31, 2018. The option to reborrow applicable prepaid principal amounts expires on December 31, 2019. Reborrowings may be made in up to three instances in minimum amounts of $10 million each. In addition, amounts prepaid and eligible for reborrowing are subject to an unused line fee of 0.325% per annum times the average daily amount of the unused commitments.

Pursuant to the Term Loan Agreement, the borrowers are required to maintain, as of the end of any fiscal quarter, a Capitalization Ratio lower than 60%, a Consolidated Net Worth greater than $350 million, and Available Liquidity greater than $100 million (each as defined in the Term Loan Agreement). In addition, under the Term Loan Agreement, and subject to certain exceptions, the borrowers may not, among other things, (i) incur indebtedness, (ii) incur liens, (iii) make junior payments, (iv) make certain investments, and (v) under certain circumstances, make capital expenditures in excess of $50 million during four consecutive quarters. The Term Loan Agreement also includes customary representations of the borrowers and provides for certain events of default customary for similar facilities.

The Term Loan Agreement permits us to pay dividends only if at the time of payment (i) no default has occurred or is continuing (or would result from such payment) under the Term Loan Agreement, and (ii) our interest coverage ratio is greater than or equal to 3:1 at such time or (iii) our fixed-charge coverage ratio is greater than or equal to 1:1.

Interest rates under the Term Loan Agreement are based, at our election, on either the LIBOR or a base rate, as defined in the Term Loan Agreement, plus a spread over the index. The applicable spread for the Term Loan ranges from 1.875% to 2.125% for LIBOR rate loans, and 0.875% to 1.125% for base rate loans, both dependent on our Interest Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Term Loan Agreement). During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the average interest rate on the Term Loan was approximately 3.75%. We have received and expect to continue receiving patronage credits under the Term Loan. After giving effect to expected patronage distributions, the effective average net interest rate on the Term Loan was approximately 3.0%.

The Term Loan is secured by a first priority mortgage on our Thorsby, Alabama, and Roxboro, North Carolina, EWP facilities and a first priority security interest on the equipment and certain tangible personal property located therein.

2024 Notes

On August 29, 2016, Boise Cascade issued $350 million of 5.625% senior notes due September 1, 2024 (2024 Notes), through a private placement that was exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Interest on our 2024 Notes is payable semiannually in arrears on March 1 and September 1. The 2024 Notes are guaranteed by each of our existing and future direct or indirect domestic subsidiaries that is a guarantor under our Amended Agreement.

The 2024 Notes are senior unsecured obligations and rank equally with all of the existing and future senior indebtedness of Boise Cascade Company and of the guarantors, senior to all of their existing and future subordinated indebtedness, effectively subordinated to all of their present and future senior secured indebtedness (including all borrowings with respect to our Amended Agreement to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness), and structurally subordinated to the indebtedness of any subsidiaries that do not guarantee the 2024 Notes.

The terms of the indenture governing the 2024 Notes, among other things, limit the ability of Boise Cascade and our restricted subsidiaries to: incur additional debt; declare or pay dividends; redeem stock or make other distributions to stockholders; make investments; create liens on assets; consolidate, merge or transfer substantially all of their assets; enter into transactions with affiliates; and sell or transfer certain assets. The indenture governing the 2024 Notes, permits us to pay dividends only if at the time of payment (i) no default has occurred or is continuing (or would result from such payment) under the indenture, and (ii) our consolidated leverage ratio is no greater than 3.5:1, or (iii) the dividend, together with other dividends since the issue date, would not exceed our "builder" basket under the indenture. In addition, the indenture includes certain specific baskets for the payment of dividends.

The indenture governing the 2024 Notes provides for customary events of default and remedies.

Interest Rate Swaps

For information on interest rate swaps, see Interest Rate Risk and Interest Rate Swaps of Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Cash Paid for Interest

For the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, cash payments for interest were $22.7 million and $22.5 million, respectively.