Just when many Indian banks thought the worst of their bad debt woes were behind them, new central bank rules are stoking fears that the worst of the soured-loans buildup is yet to come, the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story. The central bank surprised the financial sector this week by halting all of its existing loan-restructuring mechanisms with immediate effect, and rolling out new rules that will push more debt defaulters into bankruptcy courts.

S&P Global Ratings stepped up its scrutiny of HNA Group Co. by cutting its credit assessment for the second time in less than three months as the debt-laden Chinese conglomerate renewed a defense of its "very healthy" finances, Bloomberg News reported. Late Tuesday, S&P said it lowered HNA’s unofficial credit score by two notches to ccc+, or seven levels deep into junk territory, citing the group’s deteriorating liquidity profile.

Capital market regulator Sebi will meet credit rating agencies this week to explore ways to have quicker access to information on loan defaults by corporates, The Economic Times reported. With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) having so far refused to share the sensitive information beyond the banking industry, Sebi is keen that all rating agencies take membership of credit information companies (CICs) to obtain default data that banks have to report to CICs. Many corporates as well as banks are reluctant to share default information with rating agencies.

Chinese deal makers that racked up debts for overseas deals and are now reversing course to pay down borrowings have attracted the attention of restructuring specialists, Bloomberg News reported. As President Xi Jinping steps up leverage curbs, borrowing costs in China have jumped. The nation’s most high-profile deal makers including HNA Group Co. have come under mounting regulatory scrutiny, and have been selling assets as they try to rein in borrowings.

Companies controlled by Chinese local governments have avoided defaulting on their bonds so far. They will not continue to be so lucky, the Financial Times reported. Officials are taking a regulatory axe to the implicit supports that have allowed hundreds of local government financing vehicles to stagger on.

India’s central bank late on Monday tightened its rules around bank loan defaults, seeking to push more large loan defaulters toward bankruptcy courts and abolishing half a dozen existing loan-restructuring mechanisms, in its latest bid to accelerate resolution of the bad loans problem at Indian banks, Reuters reported. The new set of rules are aimed at creating a “harmonised and simplified generic framework” for resolution of stressed assets in view of new bankruptcy regulations, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said late on Monday.

ArcelorMittal is competing with a consortium led by Russia’s VTB Group as bids come in for Essar Steel India Ltd., the largest distressed steelmaker being sold under the country’s insolvency process, people with knowledge of the matter said, Bloomberg News reported. An Indian unit of ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest producer of the alloy, submitted an offer, it confirmed in a statement Monday. Essar Steel could fetch a valuation of at least $6 billion in a sale, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

Wall Street bankers gorged on fees from HNA Group Co. as they helped the debt-laden Chinese conglomerate clinch $55 billion of acquisitions around the world. They’re set for another bonanza as the company offloads some of those same purchases to stave off a liquidity crisis, Bloomberg News reported. HNA doled out as much as $200 million in advisory fees during a three-year investment spree, according to Freeman & Co.

Yildiz Holding AS, the global sweets company owned by Turkey’s richest man, said it’s in talks with banks to consolidate loans in its home country and to refinance the debt to keep the company’s growth path intact, Bloomberg News reported. Yildiz Holding met with lenders following preliminary 2017 earnings and 2018 projections, it said in an emailed statement after Bloomberg reported it was seeking to restructure debt with 10 banks.

The norms for fast track insolvency proceedings have been tweaked wherein both fair value and liquidation value need to be assessed for the entity concerned. Under fast track mode, the resolution process is to be completed in 90 days, moneycontrol.com reported. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has amended the Fast Track Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons. The board has already revised the norms pertaining to insolvency resolution process for corporate persons. Under this category, the proceedings have to be completed within a maximum of 270 days.