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Prepayment premiums (also referred to as make-whole premiums) are a common feature in loan documents, allowing lenders to recover a lump-sum amount if a borrower pays off loan obligations prior to maturity, effectively compensating lenders for yield that they would have otherwise received absent prepayment.  As a result of the widespread use of such provisions, three circuit courts of appeal – the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Second, Third and Fifth Circuit – have recently had to address the enforceability of prepayment provisions in bankruptcy.  A quick review of these cases reveals a central theme: the enforceability of such a premium will likely turn on contract-specific language, and, in particular, whether the governing agreements specifically address payment following bankruptcy, including the effects of acceleration caused by bankruptcy.

Continue Reading Prepayment Premium/Make-Whole Enforceability in Bankruptcy: The Details Matter

The question of whether a debtor’s plan of reorganization can include non-consensual releases for non-debtor parties has been hotly contested for several years, with circuit courts oftentimes split.  In his recent decision on the topic in the Aegean case,  New York Southern District Bankruptcy Judge Michael E. Wiles explored the limitations on such releases even