On March 17th, the New York Times reported that SVB Financial Group, the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York. The filing comes shortly after Silicon Valley Bank was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, following a recent run on deposits. SVB’s collapse

The Wall Street Journal reports on the surprise Thursday announcement from the U.S. Commerce Department that the U.S. gross domestic product unexpectedly shrank at a 1.4% annualized rate during the first quarter of 2022.  The WSJ does not expect the GDP report to alter the Federal Reserve’s plan to raise interest rates this year, including

The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has taken another step closer to defaulting on its sovereign debts after an industry watchdog overseeing the credit-default swaps market ruled Wednesday that Russia failed to meet its obligations to foreign bondholders when it paid them in rubles earlier this month.  While Russia has continued to deny reports

US mortgage rates hit 5% this week for the first time in more than a decade, continuing a rapid ascent since the start of 2022.  According to The Wall Street Journal, interest on the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed from 4.72% a week ago to its highest level since early 2011.  Now, bankers and

Talc claimants should have their appeal of a decision permitting J&J-subsidiary LTL Management to continue its Chapter 11 proceedings heard as soon as possible, according to the same bankruptcy judge that issued the decision. In February, Judge Michael Kaplan of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey permitted the company to stay in Chapter 11,

Per Law360, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled that Art Van Furniture did not violate the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (“WARN”) Act, which requires large employers to provide least 60 days’ notice to workers before mass layoffs, when Art Van laid off 700 workers when COVID-19 shutdown orders were in effect. The

According to Reuters, businesses are contending with increased costs as supply chain issues continue to disrupt the economy. Companies have struggled to keep up with demand for consumer goods, which soared during the pandemic. Costs include rising prices for raw materials due to halted factory production and backlogs of ships waiting to unload cargo

As reported by Bloomberg, hearings began on Monday to decide whether to dismiss Johnson & Johnson’s District of New Jersey bankruptcy case. Employing the so-called “Texas Two-Step” strategy, J&J used Texas law to create the subsidiary LTL Management to hold its talc-related liabilities. LTL then filed for bankruptcy, with a pledge from J&J to

Reuters reports that a district court judge has deferred to the bankruptcy court on whether Johnson & Johnson is entitled to the continuing protection of the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay from mass tort lawsuits that it would otherwise face relating to its talc products while its subsidiary, LTL Management, proceeds through bankruptcy.  A committee of

Recapping 2021, Bloomberg reported that last year saw the fewest annual bankruptcy filings in nearly four decades, falling 24% from 2020. A total of 3,596 chapter 11 cases were filed in 2021, about 3,000 fewer than the year before. The stimulus funds and easy access to liquidity combined with debt forbearance were pointed as the