Oil and gas financing guides: reserve-based lending, borrowing bases, drilling financing, royalty loans, JIB factoring and what energy lenders underwrite.
Keep the Well: Financing the Drilling Instead of Giving Away Most of It — Most small and mid-sized operators raise drilling capital from investors and keep 30% to 50% of each well. Financing exists for operators, and it costs interest, not most of the production. One well, two ways, with the numbers.
Working Interest Financing: Funding Your Share of Drilling and Completion Costs — Working interest financing funds your share of drilling, completion and operating costs under a joint operating agreement. Here is how AFEs and cash calls work, why lenders treat a working interest differently from reserves, and which structures fit.
Royalty-Backed Loans: Borrowing Against Oil and Gas Royalty Income — A royalty-backed loan lets a mineral or royalty owner borrow against monthly production income without selling the interest. Here is how lenders underwrite decline, price and operator risk, how a loan compares with a royalty sale, and the documents required.
The Oil and Gas Loan Application Checklist: Reserve Reports to Title Opinions — An oil and gas loan application is built around a reserve report, lease operating statements, production history, title and division orders, hedging, environmental and plugging liabilities, and financials. Here is what each is for and where files stall.
Financing Oil and Gas Lease Acquisitions and Lease Bonus Payments — Undeveloped leasehold is hard to borrow against because a lease expires if nothing is drilled in its primary term. Here is how lenders view acreage, what bonus and rental obligations mean, bridge capital until drilling, and when a partner beats a loan.
Joint Venture Partner or Debt: Which Capital Fits Your Oil and Gas Project? — Debt keeps your ownership but demands repayment from a declining asset; a partner takes part of the upside but shares the risk and funds what lenders will not. Here is how to weigh selling interest, farm-outs, carries and DrillCos against borrowing.
Financing a Mineral Rights Acquisition: Lender Options and What They Underwrite — Most banks decline mineral rights as collateral, but specialty energy lenders finance producing minerals on the royalty stream they generate. Here is how producing and non-producing minerals are valued, what lenders underwrite, and the title work involved.
Bank or Private Lender for Your Oil and Gas Loan? — A decision framework for choosing between a commercial bank and a private energy lender for your oil and gas loan, by speed, cost, and leverage.
Seven Reasons Oil and Gas Loans Stall or Get Denied — Seven documentation and structuring problems that stall or kill oil and gas loans in underwriting, and the specific fix for each one, from stale reserve reports to title defects.
Borrowing Against Mineral Rights and Royalties: FAQ — Yes, you can borrow against mineral rights without selling. See how lenders value royalty income, typical advance rates, and loan vs. sale trade-offs.
What Oil and Gas Lenders Look For: A Data Checklist — The document checklist energy lenders expect before they price a deal: reserve report, LOE detail, hedge book, title status, and financials, explained item by item.
Financing an Acquisition of Producing Oil Wells — A step-by-step playbook for financing a producing oil well acquisition: PDP PV10 valuation, lender matching, deal structure, and the closing timeline from LOI to funded close.
Financing Saltwater Disposal Wells and Midstream Assets — How saltwater disposal wells, gathering systems, and water midstream assets get financed — contract-backed underwriting, construction-to-perm loans, and lender fit explained.
How WTI Price Swings Change Your Borrowing Capacity — Lenders don't use the WTI screen price to set your borrowing base — they run reserves through their own price deck. Here is how that gap actually works, and what to do about it.
Borrowing Base Redeterminations: An Operator's FAQ — A plain-English walk-through of what happens at a borrowing base redetermination: the process, the price deck, deficiency cures, and when to refinance.
How Reserve-Based Lending Works for Oil Producers — How reserve-based lending turns PDP reserves into a borrowing base, with typical advance rates, covenants, and pricing for oil and gas producers.