Suppose your firm is seeking a 3-year, amortizing $300,000 loan with annual payments and your bank is offering you the choice between a $305,000 loan with a $5,000 compensating balance and a $300,000 loan without a compensating balance. If the interest rate on the $300,000 loan is 8 percent, how low would the interest rate on the loan with the compensating balance have to be in order for you to choose it?

Multiple Choice 8 percent 7.09 percent 1.67 percent 7.98 percent