The interest rates your business will pay on the issuance of notes or bonds will have a direct relationship to the perceived level of risk of that debt, meaning that borrowing will become more expensive as the perception of risk increases. To reduce the perceived risk and lower the attached interest rates, companies can structure debt so that it offers specific protections to lenders in the event that the payments on the debt cannot be serviced. These protections include:

• Offering senior debt – In the event of a default, all creditors will file claims but holders of senior debt will stand at the front of the line for repayment with all other claimants being considered as subordinated holders. Senior debt is usually structured to be backed by the business' general asset base as opposed to being collateralized by specific assets. One caveat of offering this kind of debt is that once the offering is completed, the company cannot issue any other debt that could be considered as on par with or having greater seniority until the existing senior debt is retired.

• Structuring secured debt – Secured debt protects investors by designating specific assets that serve as collateral that backs the loan. A mortgage on a home is a typical example of secured debt, with risk measured as the amount of the loan versus the value of the underlying asset. A business can offer added lender protection by structuring the deal with a high asset to loan ratio.

Businesses that can demonstrate reduced risk to lenders can also reduce the interest rates that are attached to the debt. By structuring debt as either senior or secured the perception of risk can be decreased, making interest payment more affordable.

Mr. Harder has played roles in a variety of multi-million and multi-billion dollar transactions.

These deals have occurred in countries around the world including China, Russia, Belgium, Egypt, Angola, Azerbaijan, and others, and across a wide spectrum of industries including:

Power generation
Liquefied natural gas
Oil & gas
Petrochemicals
Water treatment
Pipelines
Aircraft financing
Mr. Harder's deal highlights include:

Secured structured loans linked to synthetic indexes totaling $575 million in Russia
Financing for companies in Russia during financial crisis involving multilateral institutions of over $200 million in debt and over $200 in equity
An exports receivables rights loan in Angola for $2.5 billion $ 670 million facility in Egypt
Since buying out his former employer Komposit Americas, where he was Managing Director in 2005, Mr. Harder has acted as the principal of Solvo Group, Inc. At Solvo Group he has continued his work, participating in large scale investment banking and insurance brokerage transactions. Solvo Group, Inc. is located in Southampton, Pa., USA.