As Texas recovers from its winter energy crisis, hard hit consumers and retail power providers may be facing potential bankruptcies caused by the extreme price fluctuations experienced during the cold. The New York Times describes the plight faced by consumers who may face energy bills in the thousands. And retail power companies that supplied power
Bloomberg confirms that 2020 was the biggest year for large commercial bankruptcies since the Great Recession in 2009. Led by the energy, retail, and consumer services sectors, 224 companies with liabilities exceeding $50 million filed Chapter 7 and 11 cases, far exceeding the number of large filings each year in the preceding decade. Bloomberg also
As reported in Yahoo Finance, the first trading day of 2021 was off to a rocky start in the U.S. Despite progress on COVID vaccine distribution, markets reacted to the discovery of a highly transmissible strain of COVID in the US, which comes with a greater risk of lockdowns, along with uncertainty surrounding the
Reuters reports that the Brazilian government will forgive approximately US$1.3 billion worth of debt owed to it by telecommunications firm Oi SA, which has been involved in a pending bankruptcy proceeding in Brazil since 2016. [Reuters; Nov. 27, 2020]
Reporting from Bloomberg indicates that boutique apparel chain Francesca’s Holdings Corp. is preparing to file for
Reporting from Bloomberg shows that during the first eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately $52 billion of rent under retail leases went unpaid. The reporting further indicates that in many instances, these rent obligations have been deferred through out-of-court agreements between landlords and tenants and that there may be an appetite for further relief
In the November 2020 statement issued by its Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve committed to use the full range of tools available to it to alleviate the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, the Federal Reserve indicated that it intends to keep the target range for the federal reserve
The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. consumer retail spending rose 1.9% in September 2020. September is the fifth straight month of retail sales growth according to the United States Department of Commerce. [WSJ; Oct. 16, 2020]
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in City of Chicago, Illinois v. Robbin L. Fulton, et al.
Reuters reports that retailer Neiman Marcus Holding Co. emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 25, 2020. The Company’s confirmed plan of reorganization eliminated more than $4 billion of debt and $200 million of annual interest expense. [Reuters; Sept. 25, 2020]
In an opinion piece for Bloomberg, columnist Justin Fox reports on the uptick
Bloomberg reports that Neiman Marcus Group Inc.’s plan of reorganization was confirmed on September 4, 2020 by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The confirmed plan revolves around a debt-for-equity swap, which will eliminate approximately $4 billion of the company’s $5.5 billion pre-petition secured debt. [Bloomberg; Sept. 4, 2020]
AMC
Houston, TX-based oil services provider SAExploration Holdings Inc. has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, reports the Wall Street Journal. SAExploration reportedly owes $6.8 million on a unsecured loan it received through the Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act. [WSJ; Aug.