🔥 New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing - IMH Financial Corporation 🔥

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IMH Financial Corporation

July 23, 2020

So this is a smaller one but it’s not retail and it’s not oil and gas and so, f*ck it, we’re digging in purely for the sake of diversification. So, what is it? IMH Financial Corporation is a real estate investment holding company with assets consisting of (i) the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in Sonoma California (which looks “lit” by the way…intentional word choice, read below), (ii) thousands of undeveloped acreage and related water rights outside of Albuquerque New Mexico (sounds super practical for, like, an apocalyptic scenario like, say, a global pandemic that kills tens of thousands of people), (iii) other real estate assets (discussed below) and (iv) a boat load of tax attributes due to years of money losing endeavors ($475mm and $280mm federal and state NOLs, respectively). The company has no funded secured or unsecured debt (outside of a small PPP loan that it believes qualifies for forgiveness). Other unsecured debt consists of mostly professional service providers (e.g., law firms). This case is primarily about …

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  • Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware (Judge Sontchi)

  • Capital Structure: No secured debt.

  • Professionals:

    • Legal: Snell & Wilmer LLP (Christopher Bayley, Steven Jerome, Benjamin Reeves, Jill Perella, James Florentine, Molly Kjartanson) & Ashby & Geddes PA (William Bowden, Gregory Taylor, Benjamin Keenan, Stacy Newman, Katharina Earle)

    • Special Committee Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Lori Wittman, W. Keith Fendrick)

    • Investment Banker: Miller Buckfire (James Doak)

    • Claims Agent: Donlin Recano & Co., Inc. (*click on the link above for free docket access)

  • Other Parties in Interest:

    • Preferred Equity Holder, DIP Lender, Exit Lender & Post-Reorg EquityHolder: JPMorgan Chase Funding Inc.

      • Legal: Hahn & Hessen LLP (Jeffrey Schwartz, Joshua Divack) & Landis Rath & Cobb LLP (Adam Landis, Richard Cobb, Matthew Pierce)

    • Preferred Equity Holder: Juniper Realty Partners LLC

      • Legal: Munger Tolles & Olson LLP (David Lee)

New Chapter 11 Filing - Hooper Holmes Inc. (d/b/a Provant Health)

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Hooper Holmes Inc. (d/b/a Provant Health)

8/27/18

Kansas-based Hooper Holmes Inc. ($HPHW), a provider of comprehensive health and wellbeing programs, e.g., biometric screening services, flu shots, lab testing and more, filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York. The company does business as Provant Health Solutions LLC ("PHS), an entity it merged with as recently as 2017. And that is part of the problem: the company incurred tens of millions in debt over the last few years in connection with the PHS merger and a prior acquisition of Accountable Health Solutions Inc., a provider of, among other things, telephonic health coaching and wellness portals. 

The company will use the bankruptcy process to effectuate a sale of substantially all of its assets to a stalking horse bidder, Summit Health Inc., for $27mm in cash and the assumption of certain liabilities. The company's prepetition secured lenders will finance the cases via a proposed $13.6mm DIP credit facility. 

  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York (Judge Drain)
  • Capital Structure: See below.   
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Foley & Lardner LLP (Richard Bernard, Timothy Mohan, Jill Nicholson, Geoff Goodman, Michael Riordan, John Melko) & Halperin Battaglia Benzija LLP (Christopher Battaglia)
    • Financial Advisor: Phoenix Management (James Fleet, Albert Mink)
    • Investment Banker: Raymond James & Associates Inc. (Geoffrey Richards)
    • Claims Agent: Epiq Bankruptcy Solutions LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Term Lender: SWK Funding LLC
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Arthur Rosenberg)
    • Stalking Horse Bidder: Summit Health Inc., a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Inc.
      • Legal: Bass Berry & Sims PLC (Paul Jennings) & Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP (Gary Holtzer, Jessica Liou, John Conte)
Source: First Day Declaration

Source: First Day Declaration

New Chapter 11 Filing - ABT Molecular Imaging Inc.

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ABT Molecular Imaging Inc. 

6/13/18

ABT is the designer, manufacturer and distributor of a Biomarker Generator. Our eyes glazed over just reading the filing papers on this one so we're going to outsource here, spare ourselves some time, and spare ourselves some serious boredom. 

The bottom line is that the company lost more money ($5.5mm) than it made in sales ($5.4mm). The company has $30mm of liabilities, all in, and assets with a net book value of merely $2.5mm. The disparity stems, in most respects, from the debt on the company's balance sheet. The purpose of the filing is to address the balance sheet and/or pursue a sale of the business. The company's secured lender, SWK Funding LLC, has agreed to fund a DIP credit facility over the course of the case and sponsor a sale through a chapter 11 plan if, during the bankruptcy process, the company is unable to find another suitable purchaser. 

  • Jurisdiction: D of Delaware (Judge Silverstein)
  • Capital Structure: $9.6mm first lien debt (SWK Funding LLC), $16.1 second lien debt (SWK Funding LLC)  
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Bayard PA (Justin Alberto, Erin Fay, Daniel Brogan, Greg Flasser)
    • Investment Banker:: SSG Capital Advisors LLC (J. Scott Victor, Neil Gupta, Michael Gunderson)
    • Claims Agent: Garden City Group (*click on company name above for free docket access)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Secured Lender: SWK Funding LLC
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Brian Smith, Brent Mcilwain) & (local) Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP 

New Chapter 11 Filing - The Rockport Company LLC

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The Rockport Company LLC

5/14/18

The Rockport Company LLC, a Massachusetts-based designer, distributor and retailer of comfort footwear has filed for bankruptcy — the latest in a string of footwear retailers that has found its way into chapter 11. Payless Shoesource, Sheikh Shoes, and Nine West Holdings are other recent filings. The current owners of the business — its prepetition lenders — purchased the business from Berkshire Partners LLC and New Balance Holding Inc. in 2017. 

The company operates in what it dubs a “highly competitive” business where “[a]t various times of the year, department store chains, specialty shops, and online retailers offer brand-name merchandise at substantial markdowns which further intensifies the competitive nature of the industry.” The company has (i) a robust wholesale business (57% of all its global sales), (ii) a direct retail business (eight (8) full-price and nineteen (19) outlet stores in the United States and fourteen (14) full-price and nineteen (19) outlet stores in Canada), (iii) e-commerce, and (iv) an international distribution segment. 

This business has suffered from (a) operational challenges (a costly and time consuming separation from the Adidas Networks, with which the company's operations were deeply integrated until late 2017), (b) other negative externalities (i.e., the closure of three supply factories, contract disputes with warehousemen, and (c) the burdens of its brick-and-mortar footprint. The company notes, "[o]ver the last several years the Debtors have faced a highly promotional and competitive retail environment, underscored by a shift in customer preference for online shopping." And it notes further, "[t]he unfavorable performance of the Acquired Stores in the current retail environment has made it difficult for the Debtors to maintain sufficient liquidity and to operate their business outside of Chapter 11."

In light of this, armed with a $20 million new-money DIP credit facility (exclusive of rollup amounts) extended by its prepetition ABL lenders, the company has filed for bankruptcy to consummate a stalking horse-backed asset purchase agreement with CB Marathon Opco, LLC an affiliate of Charlesbank Equity Fund IX, Limited Partnership for the sale of the company's assets - OTHER THAN its North American assets — for, among other things, $150 million in cash. The buyer has a 25-day option to continue considering whether to purchase the North American assets but the company does "not expect there to be any significant interest in the North American Retail Assets." Read: the stores. The company, therefore, also filed a "store closing motion" so that it can expeditiously move to shutter its brick-and-mortar footprint at the expiration of the option. Ah, retail. 

  • Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware 
  • Capital Structure: $57mm prepetition ABL Facility (Citizens Business Capital), $188.3 million '22 prepetition senior secured notes, $11mm prepetition subordinated notes.  
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Richards Layton & Finger PA (Mark Collins, Michael J. Merchant, Amanda R. Steele, Brendan J. Schlauch, Megan E. Kenney)
    • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal Private Equity Services Operations Group, LLC (Paul Kosturos)
    • Investment Banker: Houlihan Lokey Inc.
    • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Prepetition Noteholders and DIP Note Purchasers
      • Legal: Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (My Chi To, Daniel Stroik) & (local) Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Bradford Sandler, James O'Neill)
    • Collateral Agent and DIP Note Agent
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Joshua Spencer) & (local) Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Bradford Sandler, James O'Neill)
    • ABL Administrative Agent and ABL DIP Agent: Citizens Business Capital
      • Legal: Riemer Braunstein LLP (Donald Rothman, Lon Singer, Jaime Rachel Koff, Jeremy Levesque) & (local) Ashby & Geddes PA (Gregory Taylor)
    • Stalking Horse Bidder: CB Marathon Opco, LLC an affiliate of Charlesbank Equity Fund IX, Limited Partnership
      • Legal: Goodwin Proctor LLP (Jon Herzog, Joseph Bernardi Jr.) & (local) Pepper Hamilton LLP (David Fournier, Evelyn Meltzer)

Updated 5/14/18 at 10:14 am

New Chapter 11 Filing - Bertucci's Holdings, Inc.

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4/16/18

Bertucci's, the well-known Massachusetts-based restaurant chain with 59 casual family dining restaurants has filed for bankruptcy in order to effectuate sale to Right Lane Dough Acquisition, LLC. The company is owned by an affiliate of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. 

As we discussed in a recent Members'-only write-up, the casual dining space has been under siege for some time. The company notes,

"With the rise in popularity of quick-casual restaurants and oversaturation of the restaurant industry as a whole, Bertucci’s – and the casual family dining sector in general – has been affected by a prolonged negative operating trend in an ever increasing competitive price environment. Consumers have more options than ever for spending discretionary income, and their preferences continue to shift towards cheaper, faster alternatives. Since 2011, Bertucci’s has experienced a year-over-year decline in sales and revenue."

To combat these trends, the restaurant implemented what seemingly every company selling a product is trying today: experiential something-or-other. It brought back its original executive chef and deployed quarterly food and wine pairings, specialty menus, express lunches and wine specials to draw and cultivate customers. Taking a page out of Domino's book, it also invested in and launched a mobile app. These measures -- along with attempts to streamline operational costs and re-negotiate leases -- were meant to help stop the bleeding. While millions of dollars of costs were taken out and 29 unprofitable leases identified (all of which the company intends to reject immediately), revenue could not support the company's debt and working capital needs. The company defaulted on its credit facility late last year. 

The company has determined that a sale of the remaining business is the best option for maximizing value to its stakeholders. What's that value, you ask? $1.7 million in cash, a credit bid against the DIP credit facility of no less than $4 million (which is the full principal amount of the DIP), and $14 million in new second lien notes. 

  • Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware 
  • Capital Structure: $37.9mm secured 1st lien term loan (CIT Bank), $29.6mm secured 2nd lien term loan (DV, an affiliate of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners), $42.9mm secured holdco first lien term loan (DV)  
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Landis Rath & Cobb LLP (Adam Landis, Kerri Mumford, Kimberly Brown, Jennifer Cree) & (special counsel) Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP (Adam Harris) 
    • Investment Banker: Imperial Capital LLC
    • Real Estate Advisor: Hilco Real Estate LLC
    • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Stalking Horse Bidder: Right Lane Dough Acquisition, LLC
      • Legal: McDonald Hopkins LLC (David Agay)
    • 1st Lien Agent: CIT Bank
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Brent McIlwain) & (local) Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP (Robert Brady)

New Chapter 11 Filing - Angelica Corporation

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Angelica Corporation

  • 4/3/17 Recap: Thanks Obama! Alpharetta Georgia based provider of linens to the healthcare industry filed for bankruptcy to effectuate a sale to KKR Credit Advisors (US) LLC for $125mm (including a $17.4mm credit bid) - exclusive of liabilities emanating out of certain collective bargaining agreements because, well, why should anyone care about low-earning laundry employees, right? Not when you've got slicked back hair and a sick new Hamptons house to party in this Summer, right, bro? The company pointedly cites ObamaCare as a major source of pricing pressure as healthcare providers "became ever more cost-conscious to mitigate lower expected reimbursements from insurance companies." Reacting to the legislation, private customers joined forces via Group Purchasing Organizations, using strength in numbers as leverage to drive discounts with companies like Angelica. This, coupled with hospital consolidation - also apparently resultant from ObamaCare - led the company to suffer from significant revenue declines. The company has secured a $65mm DIP from certain ABL lenders to fund the bankruptcy case.
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York
  • Capital Structure: $50.5mm ABL (funded, Wells Fargo Capital Finance LLC) & $85mm TL debt (Cortland Capital Market Services LLC)    
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Weil (Matthew Barr, Jill Frizzley, Kevin Bostel, Joshua Apfel, Prashant Rai, Matthew Skrzynski)
    • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal LLC (John Makuch, Joel Rogers, Paul Kinealy, Bryan Fleming)
    • Investment Banker: Houlihan Lokey Capital Inc. (Bradley Jordan)
    • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name for docket)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • ABL Agent: Wells Fargo Capital Finance LLC
      • Legal: Greenberg Traurig LLP (David Kurzweil, Nathan Haynes, John Dyer, Michael Leveille)
    • TL Agent: Cortland Capital Market Services LLC
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Joshua Spencer, Renee Lewis, Barbra Parlin)
    • Stalking Horse Bidder: KKR Credit Advisors (US) LLC
      • Legal: Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP (Brian Hermann, Lauren Shumejda)
    • Largest Secured Creditors: KKR Asset Management LLC, Wells Fargo Capital Finance LLC, GACP Finance Co., LLC, Regions Bank
    • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
      • Legal: Cole Schotz PC (Michael Sirota, Daniel Geoghan, Ryan Jareck, Warren Usitine, Mark Tsukerman, Jacob Frumkin, Rebecca Hollander)
      • Financial Advisor: FTI Consulting Inc. (Conor Tully, Marshall Eisler, Sean Eimer, Harrison West, Marili Hellmund-Mora)

Updated 5/31/17

New Chapter 11 & CCAA Filing - SquareTwo Financial Services Corporation

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SquareTwo Financial Services Corporation

  • 3/19/17 Recap: Colorado-based privately held acquirer, manager, and collector of charged-off U.S. and Canadian consumer and commercial accounts-receivable filed a prepackaged plan of reorganization seeking to split the company into an acquired-co and "wind down co", with Resurgent Holdings LLC putting in approximately $264mm of new money in exchange for 100% equity in the acquired co. This is on the heels of a prior recapitalization that provided for the exchange of second lien notes for a 1.5 Lien Term Loan & preferred stock (enter Apollo and KKR here). Under the proposed plan of reorganization, the lenders holding claims under the first lien credit facilities will get paid in full; the holders of claims under the 1.5 Lien Term Loan will get a pro rata share of remaining cash; Resurgent will own the remaining business (with the rest liquidated); and the remaining creditors - including the second lien holdouts and the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System (?!?!) - will get a big fat donut. Because who gives a sh*t about public school teachers anyway: what have they ever done for folks who work at Apollo and KKR?
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York
  • Capital Structure: $60mm first lien RCF ($41mm out) & $105mm first lien Term Loan (Cerberus Business Finance LLC), $15mm 1.25 Lien Term Loan (plus $1.3mm interest) & $176.1 mm 1.5 Lien Term Loan (plus $15.4mm interest) (Cortland Capital Market Services LLC), $1.9 mm second lien notes (unexchanged in prior recapitalization)(U.S. Bank National Association)    
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (Matthew Feldman, Paul Shalhoub, Robin Spigel, Debra McElligott, Gabriel Brunswick) & (Canadian counsel) Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP (D.J. Miller, Leanne Williams, Asim Iqbal, Mitch Grossell)
    • Financial Advisor: AlixPartners LLC (Mark Thorson)
    • Investment Banker(s): Keefe Bruyette & Woods Inc. & Miller Buckfire & Co. (John McKenna)
    • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name for docket)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Prepetition Agent & DIP Agent: Cerberus Business Finance LLC
      • Legal: Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP (Frederic Ragucci, Adam Harris)
    • Ad Hoc Group of 1.25 lien and 1.5 lien Lenders (Apollo Capital Management LP, KKR Credit Advisors LLC)
      • Legal: Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP (Alan Kornberg, Elizabeth McColm, Michael Turkel)
    • Prepetition 1.25 Lien and 1.5 Lien Agent: Cortland Capital Market Services LLC
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Barbra Parlin, Joshua Spencer)
    • U.S. Bank National Association
      • Legal: Dorsey & Whitney LLP (Eric Lopez Schnabel, Alessandra Glorioso) & (local) Maslon LLP (Clark T. Whitmore)
    • Preferred Stock Holders: Apollo Investment Corporation & KKR Financial CLO 2007-1 Ltd.
    • Majority Common Stock Holders: Norwest Mezzanine Partners II LP & Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System
    • New Money Investor: Resurgent Holdings LLC
      • Legal: Foley & Lardner LLP (Patricia Lane, Michael Small, Benjamin Rikkers, Jack Haake)
    • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
      • Legal: Arent Fox LLP (Robert Hirsh, George Angelich, Jordana Renert)
      • Financial Advisor: Gavin/Solmonese LLC (Ted Gavin)

Updated 5/31/17

New Chapter 11 Filing - Marbles Holdings LLC

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Marbles Holdings LLC

  • 2/6/17 Recap: The Chicago-based brainiacs behind the specialty retailer that sells games, puzzles, books and software apparently weren't smart enough to run a sustainable business. Consequently, Marbles Holdings filed a Chapter 11 to find a buyer for certain assets and liquidate the remainder. A proposed sale of IP and a wind-down of the 37 mall-based locations (including one in the ultimate "tourist mall," the World Trade Center, and many others in the, cough, "A Malls" owned by Westfield, Simon Properties, and General Growth Properties) and six in-store concept stores within Macy's will be funded pursuant to a $900k DIP. Choice quote in the first day declaration, "It is likely that other retailers may commence chapter 11 cases in the near term." Ominous. 
  • Jurisdiction: N.D. of Illinois
  • Capital Structure: ~$17.5mm secured debt (Amzak Capital Management, AMPR Marbles Investors LLC)
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Adelman & Gettleman LLP (Howard Adelman, Henry Merens, Erich Buck, Alexander Brougham)
    • Liquidator: Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC
    • Investment Banker: Hilco IP Services LLC d/b/a Hilco Streamback
    • Claims Agent: Garden City Group LLC
  • Other Parties in Interest
    • Amzak Capital Management
      • Legal: Holland & Knight LLP (Barbra Parlin)

Updated 2/10/17

New Filing - Northstar Offshore Group

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Northstar Offshore Group

  • 12/2/16 Recap: The E&P-oriented debtors filed a voluntary case converting an earlier August involuntary filing. The company is tied to the defunct Platinum Partners, which we covered in some detail here and here. 
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of Texas
  • Capital Structure: $30mm LOCs (First National Bank of Central Texas) & $80mm 12% '19 second lien private notes (ex-interest of $13.7mm)   
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Diamond McCarthy LLP (Kyung Lee, Charles Rubio, Christopher Murphy, Michael Fritz)
    • Restructuring Advisor: CR3 Partners (Donald Martin)
    • Financial Advisor: M1 Energy Capital Management (Richard Bernardy)
    • Investment Banker: Parkman Whaling LLC (Thomas Hensley Jr.)
    • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk (*click on company name for docket)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Sponsor: Platinum Partners
      • Legal: Holland & Knight (Robert Jonres, Warren Gluck, Barbra Parlen, Arthur Rosenberg)
    • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
      • Legal: DLA Piper LLP (Vincent Slusher, David Avraham, Adam Lanza, Daniel Simon, Andy Zollinger)
      • Financial Advisor: FTI Consulting Inc. (Conor Tully, David Rush, Michael Cordasco, Paul Jordan, James Aharonian, Marili Hellmund-Mora)
    • Creditor: Spartan Offshore Drilling LLC
      • Legal: Vinson & Elkins LLP (Reese O'Connor)
    • DIP Lender: Arena Limited SPV LLC
      • Legal: Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP (Timothy A. Davidson, Joseph Rovira)
    • First National Bank of Central Texas
      • Legal: Dykema Cox Smith (Deborah Williamson)

Updated 5/18/17

New Chapter 15 Filing - Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund LP

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Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund LP

  • 10/18/16 Recap: Asset management platform files Chapter 15 to wind-down positions after epic collapse in Q4 '15.  See "Feature." 
  • Jurisdiction: S.D. of New York
  • Capital Structure: ~$1b debt     
  • Company Professionals:

New Filing - Channel Technologies Group LLC

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Channel Technologies Group LLC

  • 10/17/16 Recap: Manufacturer of ceramics, transducers and sonar equipment sold to the US Navy and defense contractors like Northrop Grumman, Lockhead Martin and Raytheon files for chapter 11 to address onerous long-term contracts and attempt an expeditious sale of the business.  
  • Jurisdiction: Central District of California
  • Capital Structure: $2.86mm secured debt     
  • Company Professionals:
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Prepetition Secured Creditor/DIP Lender: Blue Wolf Capital Partners
    • Northrup Grunman
      • Legal: Gibson Dunn (Sam Newman, Daniel Denny)
    • Lockhead Martin
      • Legal: Hogan Lovells LLP (Christopher Donoho, M. Shane Johnson)

Updated 12/30/16.