💵New Chapter 11 Filing - Highland Capital Management LP 💵

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Highland Capital Management LP

October 16, 2019

Dallas-based Highland Capital Management LP filed for bankruptcy in the District of Delaware as a preemptive measure; it was expecting a legal judgment against it in an action emanating out of the closure of a related fund after the Great Recession. There’s more about that lawsuit by Bloomberg here.

  • Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware (Judge )

  • Capital Structure:

  • Professionals:

    • Legal: Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (James O’Neill)

    • Financial Advisor/CRO: Development Specialists Inc. (Bradley Sharp)

  • Other Parties in Interest:

New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - Cumulus Media Inc.

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Cumulus Media Inc.

  • 11/29/17 Recap: It has become routine for a company to tout the synergistic benefits of an acquisition. But synergies only come from solid execution and integration of the new properties into the existing franchise. As we often see, that's a pipe dream that often fails to come to fruition. Take, Cumulus Media, for instance, which from 1998 through 2013, "completed approximately $5 billion worth of acquisitions to grow its network and station businesses," including two large recent acquisitions (Citadel Broadcasting in 2011 and Westwood One in 2013). Notably, "[t]he Company struggled to develop the management and technology infrastructure required to integrate the acquired assets and to support and manage its expanding portfolio. Additionally, certain of the acquisition projections proved erroneous and a number of subsequent management decisions failed to achieve their desired results. The Company was thus unable to achieve the cash flow projections it had made to support the prices paid for those acquisitions...." Projections didn't translate to reality? Color us shocked. Combine these operational challenges with "industry challenges" and you've got a recipe for decreased YOY trends in ratings, revenue and EBITDA. Since 2012. Yikes. But like most bankruptcies, this is a storm of multiple elements. Clearly, the above-noted transactions led to a tremendous amount of incurred debt, capex for integration, and interest expense on that debt. But, in addition, "advertiser and listener demand for radio overall has been negatively impacted by the availability of content and advertising opportunities in growing digital streaming and web-based digital formats, resulting in declines in radio industry revenue and listenership. As a result of these general industry pressures, high acquisition prices and subsequent poor performance, Cumulus Media found itself with an excessive level of debt relative to its earnings and rapidly approaching maturities on its funded debt." So, in other words, blame the debt, Facebook ($FB), Google ($GOOGL), Netflix ($NFLX), Amazon ($AMZN), podcasts, etc., for the decline in radio consumption. So, now the company is in bankruptcy with a restructuring support agreement in place to equitize the term loan. The term loan lenders will get take-back paper and 83.5% percent of the reorganized company. The noteholders will get 16.5% of the equity subject to management incentive plan. Shareholders will get bupkis. 
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York (Judge Chapman)
  • Capital Structure: $1.73b TL (JP Morgan Chase Bank NA), $637mm 7.75% senior notes (U.S. Bank NA)   
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Basta, Lewis Clayton, Jacob Adlerstein, Claudia Tobler)
    • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal North America LLC (David Miller)
    • Investment Banker: PJT Partners LP
    • Claims Agent: Epiq Bankruptcy Solutions LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
    • Board of Directors: Mary Berner, Jill Bright, Ralph Everett, Jeffrey Marcus, Ross Oliver, Jan Baker
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Ad Hoc Group of Term Loan Lenders (Eaton Vance Management and Boston Management & Research, Franklin Mutual Advisors, Highland Capital Management LP, JP Morgan Chase Bank NA, Silver Point Finance LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC and Nuveen Fund Advisors, Voya Investment Management Co. LLC, Beach Point Capital Management LP)
      • Legal: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP (Michael Messersmith, Michael Solow, Seth Kleinman)
      • Financial Advisor: FTI Consulting LLC
    • Ad Hoc Senior Noteholder Group (Angelo Gordon & Co. LLP, Brigade Capital Management, Capital Research and Management Co., Greywolf Capital Management LP, Waddell & Reed Investment Corporation)
      • Legal: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (Michael Stamer, Meredith Lahaie, Abid Qureshi, Kate Doorley)
    • Administrative Agent: JP Morgan Chase Bank NA
      • Legal: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (Elisha Graff, Nicholas Baker)

Updated 11/30/17

New Chapter 15 Filing - Ocean Rig UDW Inc.

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Ocean Rig UDW Inc.

  • 3/28/17 Recap: Offshore drilling contractor files for bankruptcy under Chapter 15 to EFF the "vulture investors." Seriously. The Company has secured a TRO to block creditors from obstreperously vulturing their way through a potential debt restructuring. While we're somewhat serious about the foregoing, the Company is also in the midst of four interrelated schemes of arrangement and the Chapter 15 is meant to give the Company breathing room to effectuate a debt-for-equity swap thereunder - exchanging $3.7b of debt for new equity, $450mm of new secured notes, and $288mm of cash. The cause of impairment is the obvious: an "unprecedented decline in recent years in petroleum prices and exploration and development activity," which made interest coverage and refinancing difficult.  
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York
  • Capital Structure: $1.83b '20 TLB, $1.27b '21 TLB, $460mm '17 6.5% DRH secured notes (U.S. Bank NA), $423mm '19 7.25% unsecured notes .     
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (Evan Hollander, Raniero D'Aversa Jr., Monica Perrigno, Ayanna Lewis-Gruss)
    • Financial Advisor: AlixPartners LLC (Eleanor Fisher, Simon Appell)
    • Investment Banker: Evercore
    • Information Agent: Prime Clerk LLC
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Highland Floating Rate Opportunities Fund, Highland Global Allocation Fund, Highland Opportunistic Credit Fund, Highland Loan Master Fund LP, NexPoint Credit Strategies Fund 
      • Legal: Venable LLP (Jeffrey Sabin, Konstantinos Katsiris, Carol Weiner Levy)
    • Ad Hoc Group of TL Lenders
      • Legal: Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP (Gerard Uzzi, Mark Shinderman, James Behrens, Brian Kinney)
    • Ad Hoc Group of Holders of 6.5% DRH Secured Notes
      • Legal: Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Jayme Sprayragen, Edward Sassower, Brian Schartz, Patrick Nash)
    • Indenture Trustee: US Bank, NA
      • Legal: Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (James Carr, Benjamin Feder)

Updated 3/31/17 3:53 pm

New Chapter 11 Filing - Avaya Inc.

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Avaya Inc.

  • 1/19/17 Recap: Late in its transition from a hardware-based business model to a software model, Santa Clara California based communications services provider filed a freefall bankruptcy to address its $6b+ balance sheet and ~$1.45b of pension/OPEB liabilities with the help of a proposed $725mm DIP Facility. 
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York
  • Capital Structure: $55mm domestic ABL credit facility (Citigroup USA Inc.), $3.235b prepetition cash flow credit facility (Citigroup USA Inc.), $1b 7% '19 first priority note, $290mm 9% '19 second priority note, $1.384b 10.5% '21 second priority notes (Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company N.A.).   
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Jayme Sprayragen, Jonathan Henes, Patrick Nash, Ryan Preston Dahl, Bradley Giordano, Justin Bernbrock, Kan Asimacopoulos, Bern Meyer-Loewy, Carl Pickerill, Asif Attarwala, Ameneh Bordi, Robert Britton, Jeremy Evans, Natasha Hwangpo, Stephen Iacovo, George Klidonas, Christopher Kochman, Justin Mercurio)
    • Financial Advisor: Zolfo Cooper LLC (Eric Koza, Charlie Carnaval, Jesse DelConte, Denise Lorenzo, Conor McShane, Fred Jelks, Andrew Ralph, Adam Searles, Jeff Wooding, Howard Gou, Eugene Lavrov, Rohan Joseph, Chris Baydar)
    • Investment Banker: Centerview Partners (John Bosacco)
    • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk (*click on company name for docket)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • DIP Agent: Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
      • Legal: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Damian Schaible, Natasha Tsiouris, Aryeh Falk)
    • Ad Hoc First Lien Noteholders' Group (400 Capital Management LLC, Aegon USA Investment Management LLC, Alta Fundamental Advisors LLC, Anchorage Capital Group LLC, Apollo Management LP, Auburn Mesa LLC, Bain Capital Credit LP, Bank of America NA, Barclays Capital Inc., Benefit Street Partners LLC, Bennett Restructuring Fund Inc., Blackrock Financing Management Inc., Blackrock Advisors LLC, Blackrock Institutional Trust Company NA, BlueCrest Capital Management, Candlewood Group Investment Group LP, Canyon Capital Advisors LLC, Carlson Capital LP, Centerbridge Capital LP, Cetus Capital LLC, Columbia Management Investment Advisors LLC, Continental Casualty Company, CQS (US) LLC, Crescent Capital Group LP, CRG Financial LLC, Cyrus Capital Partners LP, Deutsche Bank AG Cayman Islands Branch, Driehaus Capital Management LLC, DW Catalyst Master Fund Ltd., Empyrean Investments LLC, Farallon Capital Partners LP, Farallon Capital Institutional Partners LP, Farallon Capital Institutional Partners V LP, Farallon Capital Institutional Partners II LP, Farallon Capital Offshore Investors II LP, Farallon Capital F5 Master I LP, Farallon Capital (AM) Investors LP, Farallon Capital Institutional Partners III LP, Noonday Offshore Inc., GLG LLC, Graham Capital Management, GSO Capital Partners LP, HG Vora Capital Management LLC, HPS Investment Partners LLC, Investcorp Credit Management US LLC, ISL Loan Trust, ISL Loan Trust II, J.H. Lane Partners LP, JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, JP Morgan Investment Management LLC, Lord Abbett & Co. LLC, Mariner Glen Oaks LP, Medtronic Holding Switzerland GMBH, Merced Capital LP, Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc., Midtown Acquisitions LP, MJX Asset Management LLC, Monarch Alternative Capital LP, Napier Park Global Capital, Newfleet Asset Management LLC, New Mexico State Investment Council, Nut Tree Capital Management LP, NYL Investors LLC, OZ Management LP, OZ Management II LP, OFI Global Asset Management Inc., Onex Credit Partners LLC, OSK V LLC, Par-Four Investment Management LLC, P. Schoenfeld Asset Management LP, Putnam Investments, Redwood Capital Management LLC, Sentinel Dome Partners LLC, Shenkman Capital Management Inc., Silver Point Capital LP, Standard General LP, Taconic Capital Advisors LP, Talamod Asset Management LLC, Telos Asset Management LLC, THL Credit, Voya CLO, Wayzata Opportunities Fund III, Wayzata Opportunities Fund Offshore III LP, Wells Fargo Bank NA, Whitebox Advisors LLC, Wolverine Flagship Fund Trading Limited, Z Capital Credit Partners)
      • Legal: Akin Gump Straus Hauer & Feld LLP (Ira Dizengoff, Philip Dublin)
      • Financial Advisor: PJT Partners LP 
    • Ad Hoc Crossover Noteholders' Group (Alden Global Capital LLC, AllianceBernstein LP, Avenue Capital Management II LLP, Benefit Street Partners, Susquehanna Advisors Group Inc., Franklin Mutual Advisors LLC, Greenlight Capital Inc., Highland Capital Management LP, PGIM Inc., Symphony Asset Management LLC)
    • Updated Ad Hoc Crossover Noteholders' Group (Less: Benefit Street Partners)
      • Legal: Stroock Stroock & Lavan LLP (Kris Hansen, Sayan Bhattacharyya, Gabriel Sasson)
      • Financial Advisor: Rothschild
    • Communications Workers of America
      • Legal: Saul Ewing LLP (Sharon Levine)
    • Successor Indenture Trustee: Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB
      • Legal: Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Doerr LLP (Andrew Goldman, Nancy Manzer)
    • First Lien Notes Trustee: Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company
      • Legal: Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP (Glenn Siegel, Joshua Dorchak, Rachel Jaffe Mauceri)
    • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
      • Legal: Morrison & Foerster LLP (Lorenzo Marinuzzi, Todd Goren, Erica Richards, Benjamin Butterfield, Rahman Connelly, Andrew Kissner, James Newton)
      • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal LLC (David Miller, Byron Smyl, Marc Alms, Laureen Ryan, Rich Newman, Andrea Gonzalez, Hamish Allanson, Leslie Lambert, Vance Yudell, Jeff Gunsel, Steve Coverick)
      • Investment Banker: Jefferies LLC (Leon Szlezinger)

Updated 5/31/17