Though often overlooked, bankruptcy sales can be a real boon to businesses looking for a great deal. Prospective purchasers must, of course, interface with the bankruptcy court, so these companies must understand the lay of the land when looking for a bargain. For example, in the last two years, Wanxiang Group purchased 

Though often overlooked, bankruptcy sales can be a real boon to businesses looking for a great deal. Prospective purchasers must, of course, interface with the bankruptcy court, so these companies must understand the lay of the land when looking for a bargain.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently declined to dismiss the Chapter 11 petitions of several subsidiaries of General Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP) demonstrating that special purpose entities (SPEs), designed to avoid bankruptcy, can be subject to bankruptcy proceedings despite having strong cash flows, no debt defaults and "bankruptcy remote" structures.