Bankruptcy can provide important advantages to companies considering M&A activity today. M&A purchases of bankrupt companies obviously often feature significantly depressed valuations and a small universe of potentially viable purchasers.

M&A activity that is part of the bankruptcy process will prioritize speed and efficiency, offering a number of potentially important benefits over the traditional merger process, including:

As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on people around the world, it is also severely disrupting numerous companies’ health, balance sheets, and ability to survive. The impact is already manifesting itself as businesses temporarily suspend operations and furlough their employees as revenue is lost and expenses mount. It is inevitable that many of these companies, especially those that were already distressed prior to the COVID-19 crisis, will need to restructure their debts.

Restructuring Leases, Other Contracts, and Loans

Small businesses have traditionally had difficulties reorganizing under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The legal fees necessary to prepare a plan and disclosure statement and navigate the confirmation process were often prohibitively expensive. Further, the reporting requirements and United States Trustee fees mandated by Chapter 11 added significant expenses to the already struggling debtor’s cash flow.

• Committee selects legal counsel to recover debt
• Legal counsel oversees the day-to-day management of the case
• All committee expenses, including legal fees, are the responsibility of the bankruptcy estate

One of the many unfortunate realities of the current economic situation is the likelihood of a sharp uptick in bankruptcies in the oil and gas industry. As more mid-size and large businesses begin to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy you will likely hear more about unsecured creditor committees.

The recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act expands the application of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA) to more distressed businesses. The SBRA gives qualifying businesses and their owners more leverage to reorganize in bankruptcy court over the objection of creditors. The SBRA process is also less expensive and more streamlined than a typical Chapter 11 case.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the underwriting analysis for suppliers and creditors from customer-specific financial review to global health and macroeconomic analyses that are outside of the comfort zone of most company credit managers.
• Credit managers have seen their customers in long-thriving industries (e.g., travel, hospitality, entertainment) face a sharp and sudden loss of revenue.

A new chapter has begun in the ongoing saga to clarify the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in bankruptcy proceedings involving FERC-jurisdictional contracts. In a March 30 order, the FERC identified how it will exercise its jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act (FPA) concurrently with the Bankruptcy Court with regard to the proposed rejection of FERC-jurisdictional contracts in bankruptcy.[1]

State governments can be creditors of individuals, businesses and institutions that are debtors in bankruptcy in a variety of ways, most notably as tax and fine collectors but also as lenders. They can also be debtors of debtors, in their role, for example, as the purchasers of vast quantities of goods and services on credit. And they can also be transferees of a debtor’s property in (at least) every role in which they can be creditors.

As markets react to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the trading prices of loans and notes have declined. In light of these developments, borrowers and their affiliates, including private equity sponsors, are considering whether to buy back outstanding debt at a discount. In analyzing the potential benefits and drawbacks of pursuing debt repurchases, borrowers and private equity sponsors should consider the following:

Outstanding Debt Documents

Three recent court decisions address the scope and limits of bankruptcy injunctions barring future asbestos claims. The decisions – from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, a Maryland bankruptcy court, and the Montana Supreme Court – underscore that (i) broad notice of proposed injunctions is critical and (ii) channeling injunctions under § 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code apply only to liabilities that are derivative of the debtor’s liabilities, not to a company’s own liabilities.