In a much-anticipated decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently held that unsecured noteholders’ claims against a debtor for certain “Applicable Premiums” were the “economic equivalent” to...more
As you know from our prior alerts, creditors of borrowers formed as Delaware LLCs (as opposed to corporations) lack standing under Delaware law to sue directors for breaching fiduciary duties even when, to the surprise of...more
4/26/2024
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware ,
Derivatives ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fraudulent Transfers ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Standing
NEW YORK, April 23, 2024 – Leading international law firm Proskauer today announced a 1.84% overall default rate for Q1 2024 for loans in its Private Credit Default Index (the “Index”). The Index tracks senior-secured and...more
There is a growing trend of bankruptcy courts approving structured dismissals of chapter 11 cases following a successful sale of a debtor’s assets under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. A structured dismissal is a...more
Retaining key management at a distressed company in the midst of an out-of-court restructuring can be necessary for the success of the restructuring. To realign incentives, private credit lenders need to consider reloading...more
When leveraged buyouts (“LBOs”) fail, the selling shareholders are litigation targets. A common suit is a claim by a bankruptcy trustee asserting constructive fraudulent transfer claims seeking to claw-back payments to the...more
While global inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates dominated macroeconomic headlines over the last year, middle-market private credit restructurings witnessed three notable trends.
First, these credits remained...more
1/26/2024
/ Automatic Stay ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Debt ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Divestiture ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Interest Rates ,
Lenders ,
Middle Market ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Price Inflation
Recently, two significant distressed companies with thousands of commercial leases, Rite Aid Corp. and WeWork Inc., each filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, seeking in part to rationalize their geographic footprints through...more
1/11/2024
/ Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial Leases ,
Commercial Tenants ,
Debtors ,
Jurisdiction ,
Popular ,
Property Surrender ,
Rent ,
Rent Increases ,
Security Deposits ,
Standby Letters of Credit ,
Tenants ,
Unsecured Debt
Bankruptcy Considerations for Unitranche Transactions with Super-Priority Revolvers without an AAL -
Unitranche debt is not new to the private credit market. It has, however, evolved over time. In the earlier years of the...more
In our prior alert over the summer, we highlighted the Delaware Supreme Court’s decision in Stream TV Networks, Inc. v. SeeCubic, Inc., 279 A.3d 323, 329 (Del. 2022) (“Stream TV”), which held an insolvent corporation could...more
Navigating the Bankruptcy Code can present many traps for unsuspecting debtors, creditors or asset buyers. The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware recently reminded bankruptcy participants of an often overlooked...more
Restructurings defy a one-size fits all approach because every deal is unique and different tools are required to solve different problems. At one end of the restructuring continuum is the so-called “amend and extend,” where...more
Navigating the Bankruptcy Code can present many traps for unsuspecting debtors, creditors, or asset buyers. The Delaware District Court recently reminded bankruptcy participants of an often overlooked pitfall involving the...more
12/1/2023
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Delaware ,
Free and Clear Transactions ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Successor Liability ,
Successors ,
Unions ,
United Steelworkers
Once again, we reflect on the prior year for restructuring trends impacting private credit lenders. Last year it was all about “liability management”—the latest trend in which the limits of sponsor-favorable loan documents...more
1/18/2023
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
Capital Raising ,
Chapter 11 ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Delaware ,
Interest Rates ,
Lenders ,
Liquidity ,
Loans ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
NY Supreme Court ,
Restructuring ,
Supply Chain ,
Supply Shortages ,
Ukraine ,
Vaccinations
A common yet contentious liability management strategy is an “uptier” transaction, where lenders holding a majority of loans or notes under a financing agreement seek to elevate or “roll-up” the priority of their debt above...more
In an important decision to private credit lenders, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a make-whole premium for an unsecured creditor tied to future interest payments is the “functional equivalent of unmatured...more
It seems inevitable there will be an uptick in private credit defaults as economic conditions further deteriorate. What steps are you taking in terms of portfolio management to prepare for the next cycle with respect to...more
10/18/2022
/ Article 9 ,
Budgets ,
Change of Control ,
Chapter 11 ,
D&O Insurance ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Equity Transactions ,
Exclusions ,
Foreclosure ,
Insolvency ,
Lenders ,
Loans ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Creditors of distressed businesses are often frustrated by shareholder- controlled boards when directors pursue strategies that appear to be designed to benefit shareholders at the creditors' expense.
In these...more
9/30/2022
/ Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Creditors ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Shareholders
Creditors of distressed businesses are often frustrated by shareholder-controlled boards when directors pursue strategies that appear to be designed to benefit shareholders at the creditors’ expense. In these circumstances,...more
9/6/2022
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Creditors ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Insolvency ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Shareholders ,
Solvents
This past year was marked by extraordinary deal activity. Record breaking M&A activity drove record breaking private credit activity. Private equity M&A activity was at a substantial high, with over 8,500 deals worth $2.1...more
2/8/2022
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Debtors ,
First-Lien ,
Insolvency ,
Lenders ,
Make-Whole Premium ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Reorganizations
Despite the Supreme Court’s rejection of a structured dismissal in 2017, there is a growing trend of bankruptcy courts approving structured dismissals of chapter 11 cases following a successful sale of a debtor’s assets under...more
In its 2019 decision in Mission Product Holdings Inc. v. Tempnology LLC, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved a circuit split concerning the effect of contract rejection under Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code. More specifically,...more
The primary investment thesis of a private credit lender is simple — get the loan repaid at maturity. Private credit lenders do not make loans as a means to acquire their borrower’s business. There are circumstances, however,...more
8/30/2021
/ 363 Sales ,
Article 9 ,
Bankruptcy Plans ,
Borrowers ,
Collateral ,
Credit Bids ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt Forgiveness ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Lenders ,
Loans
From February 23 – March 18th Proskauer will host its second annual Private Credit Summit. This interactive virtual event will bring together leaders in the Private Credit industry, including lenders, private equity firms,...more
3/8/2021
/ Borrowers ,
Compensation ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Executives ,
Creditors ,
Deal Price ,
Debt ,
Debt Market ,
Debtors ,
Direct Lending ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Fund Sponsors ,
Fundraisers ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Investors ,
Liability ,
Liquidity ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Private Lenders ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Restructuring ,
Webinars
For many sponsor-backed and other highly leveraged private companies, the business impact of COVID-19 is just beginning to apply pressure to financial covenant compliance. As borrowers and private credit (or other) lenders...more
7/15/2020
/ Balance Sheets ,
Borrowers ,
Capital Markets ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Investors ,
Lenders ,
Preferred Stock Financing ,
Private Equity ,
Third Party Funding