When seeking a nearly $6bn bridge loan to fund its acquisition of Dun & Bradstreet, private equity firm Clearlake Capital insisted on an unusual provision: if the sponsor could place the debt with direct lenders within 60 days, the underwriters would refund the commitment fee in full.

This bold request — which could have led to banks effectively renting out their balance sheet for free — led to pushback from some of the bankers that have been competing for the deal over recent days, according to multiple 9fin sources.

Ultimately, the broad strokes of the provision remained but Clearlake was open to a partial rather than full rebate on the commitment fee, sources said.