This week, Representative John Conyers introduced the “Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009” (H.R. 1106) (the “Act”), which has been circulated in advance of a vote by the House of Representatives anticipated as early as today. Additional amendments have been offered to the bill, but it is unclear which, if any, will be incorporated into the final text. It is not expected that the Senate will consider its version of the bill until mid-March.
C.A. No. 3017-CC (Del. Ch. February 24, 2009)
On February 24, 2009, Chancellor Chandler issued a two-page order in Fisk Ventures, LLC v. Segal, et al. addressing several aspects of the Order and Decree of Judicial Dissolution of Genitrix, as to which the parties could not agree upon the form and content of the petitioner’s form of order. One of Chancellor Chandler’s conclusions merits additional attention.
The following is a list of some recent larger U.S. bankruptcy filings in various industries. To the extent you are a creditor to any of these debtors, or other entities which may have filed for bankruptcy protection, you as a creditor are entitled to certain protections under the Bankruptcy Code.
ALUMINIUM
Aleris International U.S. operations file under Chapter 11; DIP financing approved.
AUTOMOTIVE
Court approves Key Plastics’ joint plan; Michigan company emerges from Chapter 11.
Recent declines in the trading prices of many companies' debt securities has created opportunities for those companies to reacquire a portion or all of that debt at substantial discounts through open market repurchases, privately negotiated transactions and tender offers. In some cases, the opportunities for discounted repurchases come to companies directly from investors seeking to sell the debt back in order to meet their own cash needs or otherwise obtain liquidity for thinly-traded securities.
The Fourth Circuit’s reversal of the bankruptcy court’s narrow reading of swap agreement clarifies the nature of agreements entitled to broad protections under the Bankruptcy Code, but until the decision is fully implemented on remand, swap participants will bear increased risk in hedging transactions.
As required by the terms of the emergency assistance provided by Treasury last December, General Motors Corp.
The following is a list of some recent larger U.S. bankruptcy filings in various industries. To the extent you are a creditor to any of these debtors, or other entities which may have filed for bankruptcy protection, you as a creditor are entitled to certain protections under the Bankruptcy Code.
AUTOMOTIVE
Auto parts maker Contech U.S., LLC, subsidiaries file for Chapter 11 protection in Michigan.
Fluid Routing Solutions, Inc., subsidiaries file Chapter 11 in Delaware.
GROCERY STORES
On February 23, 2009, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued a decision finding that payments made by a failed Pennsylvania insurance company in the ordinary course of business are not recoverable by the statutory liquidator of the insolvent insurer because the payments were not on account of an "antecedent debt" as that term is used in the voidable preference provision of Pennsylvania's Insurance Act.
On Feb. 11, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued its opinion in Hutson v. E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Co. (In re National Gas Distributors), attempting, in a matter of first impression, to define "commodity forward agreement" for purposes of eligibility for protection under the safe harbor provisions of the Bankruptcy Code. At first blush, this decision appears to provide the additional certainty that participants in the commodities markets require.