North America

Supermarket operator Controladora Comercial Mexicana could soon become the first major test of Mexico's overhauled insolvency laws as it readies to file a "pre-pack" debt restructuring that would end months of negotiations with creditors. As shoppers filled their carts at the company's stores around Mexico, behind the scenes its creditors were hammering out a deal to resolve more than $2 billion of derivatives losses the country's No. 3 supermarket operator suffered at the height of the financial crisis.

Fraser Papers Inc. will sell off its remaining assets over the next 18 months as the insolvent company grapples with up to $500 million in claims from hungry creditors, the Telegraph-Journal reported. On Monday, the man pegged with guiding Fraser Papers through its final days detailed the obstacles still facing the company. Glen McMillan, appointed last week as chief restructuring officer, says the company's "key challenge" is selling its remaining assets. At this point, those assets primarily consist of a paper mill in Gorham, New Hampshire and two lumber mills in northern Maine.

Corporate debt restructuring in Mexico has jumped over the past few years as companies struggled with bad bets on derivatives as well as the effects of the global recession. While large Mexican companies rarely use the country's insolvency law, some major debt deals have been reached in the past year. Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., the world's No. 3 cement maker, which was hurt by a poorly timed $16 billion purchase of Australia's Rinker in 2007 and loaded up on debt just before the global financial crisis crippled its sales. Comercial Mexicana S.A.B. de C.V., the country's No.

The wave of bankruptcies that swept across the country during the recession has seen the government’s unclaimed bankruptcy account leap by about 45% as the feds seized money and assets belonging to insolvent consumers, the Toronto Sun reported. In March 2007, before the global credit crunch started shocking banks around the world, the feds held $9.375 million in their unclaimed bankruptcy fund account. By May 5 of this year that balance had jumped to $13.6 million.

Sea Launch's plans to emerge from bankruptcy under majority Russian ownership are still subject to court and regulatory approval, but company leaders say they expect to resume commercial missions early next year, Spaceflight Now reported. The besieged launch firm filed a plan of reorganization in a Delaware bankruptcy court this week, kicking off several months of behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Sea Launch's new owners and unsecured creditors.

Political leaders and central bankers on both sides of the Atlantic struggled over the weekend to persuade jittery investors that Europe would pull through its sovereign debt crisis, saying that it would be helped by a stronger-than-expected economic recovery in the United States, The New York Times reported.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou declared he is not ruling out taking legal action against U.S. investment banks for their role in creating the spiraling Greek debt crisis. Both the Greek government and its citizens have blamed international banks for fanning the flames of the debt crisis with comments about Greece's likely default, actions that are causing the country's borrowing costs to soar, The Associated Press reported. "I wouldn't rule out that (legal action) might be a recourse.

U.S. navigation device maker Garmin said it would raise its bid for debt-laden Raymarine by more than 16 percent, topping a third-party offer, if the British marine navigation supplier were to enter into administration, Reuters reported. Garmin said it would pay more than 17.5 pence for each share in Raymarine, representing a premium of at least 21 percent to Raymarine's Thursday close. Earlier on Friday, Raymarine said an unnamed third party had walked away from a potential deal but remained willing to reconsider a transaction if Raymarine placed itself with administrators.

AbitibiBowater Inc., the Canadian paper company that sought bankruptcy protection last year to restructure its crushing debt load, won approval to keep sole control of its Chapter 11 case for another two months, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported. Judge Kevin J. Carey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., approved the Montreal-based pulp and paper manufacturer's request for an extension through July 21 of its sole right to file a plan to exit bankruptcy.

Patients will continue to receive their publicly funded knee and hip replacement surgeries at a private medical facility in Calgary until January, but it will come at an additional cost to taxpayers, The Vancouver Sun reported. Alberta Health Services filed an application in Court of Queen's earlier this month in a bid to ward off bankruptcy proceedings caused by a legal dispute between Networc Health — which owns the Health Resource Centre — and one of its creditors, Cambrian Group of Companies.