Negotiating borrowing costs and bank fees is a complicated exercise:

1. Typical agreements are confusing. They cover a large number of charges for a broad range of services.
2. Fee arrangements are seldom zero based and too often reflect outdated credit assessments or volumes.
3. Few companies take the time, or have the benchmarking information, to properly prepare their fee negotiation case.

When it comes to borrowing cost and fee negotiations most companies reap what they sow.