Debt-laden Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co. has given its creditors cause for concern in recent months, but its international bondholders are finding some comfort in guarantees provided by the local parent company. The structure means that overseas investors would in theory have a direct claim against the Chinese-based entity in the event of any default or bankruptcy proceeding, Bloomberg News reported.

When the China Insurance Regulatory Commission announced last week that it was seizing Anbang Insurance Group Co., the only surprise was that it took so long, a Bloomberg View reported. Last year, the company was told to sell its overseas assets, its founder was placed behind bars, and banks were ordered to stop offering its products. So what, if anything, does this latest incident tell us about China's economy and its attempt to crack down on debt? Anbang is often referred to as an insurance company, but this is misleading.

One of Noble Group Ltd.’s top shareholders has stepped up its criticism of the commodity trader, describing expected losses as “shocking” and warning that the billions in red ink may pile more pressure on investors to agree to a debt-for-equity rescue plan, Bloomberg News reported. The net losses will “erode what little cash Noble has left, and puts further pressure on stakeholders to accept the restructuring proposal,” Goldilocks Investment Co. said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to more writedowns on derivatives contracts as well as fourth-quarter losses on its core business.

New Zealand’s High Court placed insurance firm CBL Insurance Ltd, the main subsidiary of CBL Corporation Ltd, in interim liquidation on Friday after a request from the country’s central bank, Reuters reported. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand regulates the country’s insurance sector and CBL disclosed earlier this month that the bank was reviewing the adequacy of the company’s reserves in its French construction insurance business.

South Korea’s household debt rose to a new record in 2017, even as the government tightened lending terms to cool the property market. Household debt including credit purchases rose to 1,450.9 trillion won ($1.3 trillion) at the end of December, up 8.1 percent from the previous year, according to a statement from the Bank of Korea. While the pace of increase remained fast, it was the slowest in three years, Bloomberg News reported.

HNA Group, the heavily leveraged Chinese conglomerate, has turned to private equity company Pacific Alliance Group for finance amid pressure to raise cash and cut its debt, the Financial Times reported. Hainan-based HNA, which started as an airline company before expanding into finance, announced on Wednesday that it had pledged about 1.4bn of shares — amounting to HK$3.1bn ($396m) — from one of its subsidiaries, to borrow from privately owned PAG Holdings.

The head of India’s Tata conglomerate has promised to offload weaker companies among its 110 operating businesses, in an effort to tackle widespread underperformance within the sprawling group, the Financial Times reported. In a Financial Times interview one year on from his arrival as chairman of holding company Tata Sons, Natarajan Chandrasekaran said that he was determined to build a clearer structure within a group whose operations range from table salt to armoured vehicles and artificial intelligence. “There are a lot of marginal businesses we are in,” Mr Chandrasekaran said.

A massive annual loss estimate by commodities trader Noble Group makes it more likely that creditors will back its $3.4 billion (2.4 billion pounds) debt-for-equity restructuring to ensure the company's survival, analysts said. Noble, which flagged an annual loss of up to $5 billion on Monday, announced an initial deal with creditors last month to halve its senior debt and give them 70 percent of the company, with existing equity holders diluted to 10 percent, the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story.

ArcelorMittal and Russia’s state-controlled VTB Group have hit a fresh snag in their pursuit of Essar Steel India Ltd., an insolvent producer that could fetch at least $6 billion, Bloomberg News reported. Advisers evaluating the offers for Essar Steel are recommending that all the bids be disqualified, according to people with knowledge of the matter. A committee of Essar Steel lenders will meet later this week to discuss the eligibility of the proposals, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

India’s central bank is reviewing its process for allowing companies to raise money overseas due to concern that any increase in rupee volatility may hurt borrowers’ ability to repay debt, a person familiar with the matter said. The Reserve Bank of India is spending more time scrutinizing companies’ hedging practices, vetting borrowers more closely to prepare for any financial-market fallout from an increase in U.S. interest rates, the person said, asking not to be named as the matter is private, Bloomberg News reported.