CRO email template: proposing a records assessment to the board
A chief restructuring officer can ask the board or lender group for approval of a metadata-only records assessment before systems are retired. The email states that nothing is sold or binding, excludes mainly personal data, and sets a decision date so exports can be preserved first.
When should a CRO propose a records assessment?
Propose it before systems are retired, licenses lapse or vendors are terminated, and in writing, to the board or the lender group that controls the decision. A records assessment asks one narrow question: do the company's operational records still exist, and could they support a data license that adds recovery? It does not ask anyone to sell anything yet.
This template is for chief restructuring officers, and for turnaround advisers acting in a similar role. It is built to get a yes or no on a bounded, low-cost review, with personal-data limits stated up front so the board does not have to ask.
The template: email to the board or lender group
Use plain text. Send it from your own address, copy counsel, and attach nothing that contains records.
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Leave {disclosure_line} blank unless counsel advises that your engagement terms or the court require disclosing a referral reward. If included, describe the structure only: a share of SourceX's fee, paid after SourceX is paid, never deducted from what the company receives.
How to personalize it
| Placeholder | What to put there | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| {company_name} | The legal entity name and its status (operating, acquired, wound down) | Status can change who must approve |
| {system_list} | Systems being retired, by function only: CRM, helpdesk, email, finance | Do not list customer names |
| {decision_date} | A date before the first system shutdown | If exports are already scheduled, say so |
| {cost_statement} | "No cost to the estate for the assessment" only if true under your arrangement | Confirm with counsel before stating |
| {disclosure_line} | Empty by default; counsel decides whether and how to disclose | Never type amounts or predict proceeds |
| Recipient | Board chair, lender group agent, trustee or assignee as applicable | A court, trustee or assignee that controls assets must be involved |
Facts the board will ask about
Answer these in the cover note, or have them ready for the call.
- Eligibility: SourceX works with US companies that had 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), several years of documented operations, rights to license the data, and an authorized sponsor. Companies that are operating, acquired or wound down can all qualify if the data still exists.
- Control of assets: if a court, trustee or assignee controls the assets and has not been involved, that is a red flag and a stop sign. Get them in the loop first. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel before acting.
- Exports: nobody being able to export the data is a red flag. Preserve before shutdown, and use the exportability checklist with the company's IT lead and the archived systems checklist for retired systems.
Follow-up timing
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Send the email, copy counsel |
| Day 2-3 | One short reminder if the decision date is close |
| After approval | Ask the company sponsor or authorized representative to apply; arrange a mutual NDA first |
| After the introduction | Step back, as in the handoff email |
Other roles use the same discipline in their own words. Compare the commercial banker templates, the year-end email for accounting firms and the EOS implementer templates. The introduction email builder can draft an owner-approved variant.
What never goes in the email
- Descriptions or samples of the records, customer names or employee data.
- Any promise that the company will be paid, or any estimate of proceeds or of your own reward.
- Any statement that the license is certain. Buyers may or may not select the data.
How rewards work for a restructuring professional
Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. The reward is paid only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; a lead, meeting or signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed. Your engagement terms and any court or lender approvals govern whether you can accept it, so check them first. The who qualifies page lists the baseline for any company you consider.
Next step
If the board says yes, register as a partner, then send the introduction through your referral link or the referral form.
- Step 1Share your linkSend your personal link to a company you know.
- Step 2Company appliesThe company applies itself at /apply.
- Step 3Buyer selects and paysThe buyer selects and pays for the data and SourceX receives its fee.
- Step 4You get your rewardYour share of SourceX fees becomes payable.
Common questions
Who should receive the records assessment email?
Send it to whoever controls the decision: the board chair, the lender group agent, or a trustee or assignee if one controls the assets. If a court, trustee or assignee holds the assets and has not been involved, bring them in before anything else happens.
Does the assessment commit the company to a sale?
No. The assessment lists systems, years covered and who can export them, without reading content. Nothing is binding until the company agrees price and terms and signs, and any transfer of assets goes through whatever approvals apply to the matter.
How should the email handle personal data?
State that records mainly made up of consumer personal information, or belonging to customers who have not consented, are out of scope, and that redaction and de-identification rules are agreed before any work begins. Delivery happens only after an executed agreement.
What if the company is already wound down?
Wound-down and acquired companies can qualify if the data still exists and the company meets the baseline of 50+ full-time employees at peak with contractors excluded. The urgent step is preserving exports before servers or subscriptions are terminated.
Can the CRO mention the partner reward in the email?
Keep it out of the first email unless counsel advises disclosure. If you include it, describe the structure only: a share of SourceX's fee, paid after SourceX is paid, never deducted from the company's proceeds. Do not type amounts or predict proceeds.
Related pages
- Exportability checklist: can the company's SaaS data be exported?
- Archived systems checklist: find retired CRMs, helpdesks and drives
- Introduction handoff email: how to step back once SourceX takes over
- Introduction email templates for commercial bankers and relationship managers
- Year-end client email template for accounting firms
- Introduction email templates for EOS implementers and business coaches
Free resources
- Earnout scenario calculator — Probability-weighted earnout value and its present value.
- Profit margin calculator — Profit and margin across three scenarios.
- Client opportunity brief generator — An editable intro email, summary and checklist.
- All free tools · MCP resource center
By SourceX Partnerships Team · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-09
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