Freegold Financing Update
January 14 2009 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
VANCOUVER, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Freegold Ventures
Limited (TSX: ITF, OTCBB: FGOVF, Frankfurt: FR4) is pleased to
provide an update on its efforts to secure additional financing for
the repayment of its US $4 million in bridge loans, and to provide
additional working capital for the Company. Freegold has recently
received terms from a private European lender for a secured line of
credit of up to US $10 million for a maximum maturity of 3 years.
Terms under this facility include interest that will be paid
annually on each anniversary of the closing, based on the average
US Dollar 3-month Libor rate during the period + 2% per annum. The
facility is to be collateralized by a first priority pledge of the
shares in Freegold's wholly owned US subsidiaries and a general
security agreement against the personal property of the Company
(including a second charge against the processing and private
property assets currently collateralizing an equipment loan at
Golden Summit). Funds drawn under the line of credit may be repaid
at any time, and no upfront fees or conversion rights are being
paid or granted to the lender. Upon the Company receiving advances
totaling a minimum of US $7.5 million, the lender will receive
750,000 warrants to purchase Freegold common shares for a period of
two years from the date of grant at a price of $0.30 per share. A
finder's fee, payable in cash and equal to 4% of the amounts drawn
under the line of credit, will be paid to an arm's length party in
connection with this financing. Funds drawn under this facility
will be used to repay in full the Company's US $4 million in bridge
debt. Closing of this facility is expected to occur within the next
three weeks, and in consideration of this timing, the bridge
lenders have agreed to extend the maturity of their loans to
February 10, 2009. As consideration of this extension, the exercise
price of the 350,000 warrants each lender received at the time the
bridge loans were advanced will be reduced from $0.66 and $0.55
respectively to $0.30, and the Company will issue each lender an
additional 250,000 common shares. Pursuant to the policies of the
TSX, the re-priced warrants may not be exercised for a period of
ten business days. The other terms and conditions of the bridge
loans will remain unchanged. Freegold also announces that Robert
Jackson, President of Tiomin Resources Inc., one of Freegold's
bridge lenders, is also stepping down from the board effective
immediately. We would like to thank Robert for his service to the
Company and wish him the best in his future endeavours. Commenting
on the financing, Freegold President and CEO, Steve Manz, said "We
are very pleased to have been able to obtain terms for a facility
of this size and term during these difficult market conditions. We
have always been sensitive to the issue of equity dilution. Our
last equity financing closed in June 2007, and should we be
successful in closing this new line of credit, we would continue to
avoid the issuance of a large numbers of shares at low share prices
to provide the Company with additional working capital. Closing of
this facility would allow full repayment of the two bridge loans on
a more favourable and longer term basis, and the Company would
remain well positioned to continue to add value to its advanced
Alaska and Idaho projects. Following completion of the financing,
work over the coming months would involve low cost analysis and
modeling of the extensive programs undertaken this year on our four
projects, after which we would evaluate the best manner to move the
projects forward and add to our overall gold resource base." The
transactions described herein are subject to regulatory approval.
About Freegold Ventures Limited Freegold Ventures Limited is a
North American exploration and development company with a
management team experienced in mine development and production that
has a proven track-record in transitioning exploration companies
into gold producers. The Company is currently exploring
advanced-stage gold projects in Idaho and Alaska. Freegold holds a
100% lease interest in the Almaden gold project in southern Idaho,
a 93% interest in the Golden Summit gold project outside Fairbanks,
Alaska, and near the Fort Knox gold mine, a 100% interest in the
Rob gold project near the Pogo gold mine in the Goodpaster Mining
District of Alaska, and has an exploration agreement with option to
lease the Vinasale gold project in central Alaska. DISCLAIMER -
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within
the meaning of Canadian securities laws including, without
limitation, statements and information regarding the Company's
exploration operations and financing needs. Such forward-looking
information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the
Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of
risks, assumptions and uncertainties that may cause the actual
results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed
herein, including the possibility that future exploration results
will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, the
uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results, other
inherent risks in the mineral exploration and development industry
and the possibility that the proposed loan facilities described
herein will not be completed or completed on terms not currently
contemplated by the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on forward-looking information because it is
possible that expectations, predictions, forecasts, projections and
other forms of forward-looking information will not be achieved by
the Company. A change in any one of these factors could cause
actual events or results to differ materially from those projected
in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes
that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements
and information are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance
that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking
statements and information are based on current expectations,
estimates and projections that involve a number of risks and
uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially
from those anticipated by the Company and described in the
forward-looking statements or information. The forward-looking
statements and information are based on a number of assumptions
which may prove to be incorrect. In addition to other assumptions
identified herein, the Company has made assumptions regarding,
among other things, the ability to conduct exploration activities
in a timely manner and in accordance with the Company's drilling
program, the availability and costs of financing, the degree of
risk that credit approvals may be delayed or withheld, and other
risks and uncertainties described elsewhere in this document or in
the Company's other filings with Canadian securities authorities.
Such forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on
which it is made and, unless required by applicable securities
laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any
forward-looking information, whether as a result of new
information, future events or results or otherwise. CUSIP:
45953B107 CONTACT: Mark Feeney, Investor Relations, (604) 786-2587,
DATASOURCE: Freegold Ventures Limited CONTACT: Mark Feeney,
Investor Relations, (604) 786-2587,
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