Releases of Sackler Family Too Broad and Not Authorized by the Bankruptcy Code

SUMMARY

A mix of changing credit market conditions and political and economic factors in major economies may be opening up a window of opportunity for Brazilian borrowers to access cross-border lending. Given market dynamics in the United States, Brazilian borrowers may gain both covenant and pricing advantages by syndicating transactions in the U.S. rather than borrowing in the Brazilian loan or CCB markets. In some instances, this may allow Brazilian borrowers to optimize their capital structure with a multi-tiered composition of U.S.

SUMMARY

On October 31, the Federal Reserve Board adopted two proposed rules that would tailor how certain aspects of the post-crisis bank regulatory framework, including certain capital and liquidity requirements and other prudential standards, apply to large U.S. banking organizations. One of the rules is to be issued jointly by the FDIC, Federal Reserve and OCC. The other was issued solely by the Federal Reserve.

February 25, 2018

Treasury Issues Report on Dodd-Frank Orderly Liquidation Authority

Treasury Issues Report Recommending Adoption of Reforms to Dodd-Frank Orderly Liquidation Authority and a New Chapter 14 of the Bankruptcy Code for Significantly Systemic Financial Companies

SUMMARY

Few words in real estate transactions inspire as much fear as "time is of the essence." If a closing date or other deadline is time-is-of-the-essence (TOTE), neither party can postpone the closing or extend the deadline without the other party's consent. So if a buyer is unable to timely close (often because they are unable to obtain financing) and the seller is unwilling to postpone the closing, the buyer may forfeit its security deposit and lose a valuable business opportunity. The consequences for failing to meet a TOTE closing are harsh and seemingly unavoidable.

January 19, 2017

Second Circuit Overturns Marblegate, Rejecting Expansive Interpretation of Section 316(b) of the Trust Indenture Act

In Split Decision, Appeals Court Rules That Section 316(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 Prohibits Only Formal Non-Consensual Amendments to a Qualified Indenture's Core Payment Terms

SUMMARY

Originally published in the New York Law Journal

Voters in eight states, including California and Florida, recently approved ballot initiatives to legalize the recreational and medical use of marijuana. Presently, 28 states permit the use of marijuana to different extents.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Code gives debtors access to powerful rights and remedies that are not available under non-bankruptcy law. As a balance to these extraordinary powers however, a debtor may lose some or all control over its own affairs under certain circumstances. One of the rights that the debtor “puts into play” when it files bankruptcy is the attorney-client privilege (the Privilege).

Creditors are often compelled to commence expensive and time consuming litigation to first prosecute their claims and then locate and seize a debtor's assets. During this lengthy and costly process, the debtor's assets are dissipated and the creditor may realize only a fraction of its claim. The Bankruptcy Code¹ allows a trustee to liquidate a debtor's assets in a cost-effective, expeditious manner. Because of this, involuntary bankruptcy is a powerful tool that can expedite and maximize payments to affected creditors.