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An Introduction to the Distressed Company’s Superman: The Chief Restructuring Officer The role of a Chief Restructuring Officer (“CRO”) is approximately four decades old. While still a somewhat new role in the 1990s, CROs are now ubiquitous in the restructuring community. Todd Zywicki, a George Mason law professor who specializes in bankruptcy law, traces the origin of the CRO to the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 (the “1978 Act”). The 1978 Act created “a unified reorganization chapter [chapter 11] that is fundamentally grounded in the presumption that pre-bankruptcy management will […]
The ABCs of ABCs, Business Bankruptcy, & Corporate Restructuring/Insolvency In the last two installments of this series, we introduced you to things a company should consider before deciding whether to file chapter 11, and a timeline for understanding how a “typical” chapter 11 case proceeds. In this quick little ditty, we want to make sure you understand four concepts that permeate every chapter 11 case except, perhaps, a prepack. 1. The Automatic Stay When a bankruptcy case is filed, an “automatic stay,” is triggered under Bankruptcy Code § 362. The automatic […]
Does Corporate Counsel Represent the Executive or the Company? The F-Squared Investments Bankruptcy is a Warning for Executives [Editor’s Note: Russell C. Silberglied ([email protected]) is a director of Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of Richards, Layton & Finger or its clients. Mr. Silberglied and RL&F represented F-Squared in its chapter 11 case, but were not counsel of record in the SEC action described in this article.] What exactly does it mean when a company’s […]
Creative Destruction and an Inevitable Fall: What Can We Learn From the Penthouse Magazine Bankruptcy? Penthouse International, publisher of Penthouse Magazine, sold for $11.2 million in June of 2018. The company was worth about $700 million (adjusted for inflation) at its height. The latest Penthouse Magazine bankruptcy highlights just how far Penthouse has fallen, and what lessons can be learned regarding bankruptcy in general. The New Owner The buyer was WGCZ, which also owns XVideos.com and Bangbros.com. XVideos, in turn, functions as an aggregator (just as YouTube is an aggregator […]
How Brevity in Financing Statements Can Lead to Insufficient Collateral Descriptions Our fast-paced society, coupled with the tendency for people to use shorthand in communications by emails and Twitter, influences everyone to look for ways to save time and be less verbose. When preparing and filing a UCC-1, however, brevity can be the filer’s enemy. Description of Collateral in Security Agreements Article 9 of the UCC provides that a security agreement must “provide a description of the collateral.” A description of collateral under Article 9 is usually considered adequate if […]
The Finishing of the “Unfinished Business” Doctrine and the Jewel Waiver One of the interesting aspects of business bankruptcy cases is that both the businesses and the issues their bankruptcy proceedings present can differ so much. In recent years, for example, we have seen department stores (Macy’s, Federated), toy retailers (Toys R Us), bookstore chains (Borders), automobile manufacturers (GM, Chrysler), supermarkets (A&P), auto supply companies (Delphi), securities firms (Lehman Brothers), oil and gas E&P companies (Ultra Petroleum, Energy XXI), telecom outfits (WorldCom, Adelphia), and energy companies (Enron, EFIH) file for […]
What is the Consolidated Appropriations Act? Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 on December 21, 2020, and President Trump signed the massive act into law six days later, when it became effective. The act includes several changes to title 11 of the United States Code, which is usually called the “Bankruptcy Code,” and most changes sunset on either the first or second anniversary of the effective date of the act. Here are the changes you need to know, in the order they are presented in the act. Property That […]
The ABCs of ABCs, Business Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring/Insolvency [Authors’ Note: Before going any further, read Installment 4: Chapter 11—If You’ve Seen One, You’ve Seen Them All. While you can generally read any installment in this series in any order or even by itself, this one is an exception…] And now, we present to you, the five stages of a “typical” chapter 11 case (subject to the caveats you read in our previous installment). By the way, make sure you read to the end so you can see what a […]
Lender Liability Law Protects Distressed Borrowers from Unfair Practices The relationship between a lender and borrower can be complex. The borrower wants capital to run and grow its business, and the lenders want to earn a return and eventually get their principal back. If the borrower complies with the terms of the loan, all is good. If the borrower breaches, then the lender has a number of rights and remedies. Sometimes, however, a lender overreaches. One example of an overreach is when a lender exerts control over the daily activities […]
How Liquidity Becomes the Kryptonite of a Distressed Company’s Capital Structure A company’s “capital structure” is the array of its liabilities and equity. It is often described by the debt to equity ratio, which is the amount of total debt divided by total equity. Capital structure commonly consists of three main components: working capital (also known as operating debt), financing debt, and equity. Working capital, or operating debt, includes accounts payable, accrued expenses, and other current liabilities usually due within one year. Financing debt includes senior bank financing, leases, and […]