⛽️ New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing - Templar Energy LLC ⛽️

Templar Energy LLC

May 31, 2020

Templar Energy LLC (and six affiliates, the “debtors”), an Oklahoma City-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company that operates primarily in the Greater Anadarko Basin of Western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, filed a prepackaged plan of liquidation early Monday morning — the culmination of a multi-year effort to stave off the inevitable.

A quick flashback. Four years ago oil and gas companies were collapsing into bankruptcy left and right. After oil and gas prices fell hard, the oil and gas tide rolled out and left a lot of investors stranded naked on the beach. Most funds were of the view that this was just a hiccup. One fund after another raised billions after billions of dollars thinking that energy was “where it’s at.” We now know how off-kilter that thesis was.

Some companies back then were luckier than others. Thanks in large part to its relatively simple and highly concentrated capital structure and a clear demarcation of value based on prevailing commodity prices of the time, in September 2016, Templar Energy was able to consummate an out-of-court restructuring that extinguished $1.45b of second lien debt. Repeat: $1.45 BILLION of second lien debt — a tremendous amount of value destruction a mere four years after the company’s formation. Of course, as with all things there are nuances here. “Value destruction” is a relative phrase that applies to the par holders of the debt when originally issued. Certain second lien lenders who participated in the out-of-court restructuring may very well have purchased the paper for cents on the dollar once the par guys had to pull the ripcord. Destruction there, therefore, is a function of price. There’s no way to know (from publicly available information) whether any of the original holders of second lien paper came out ahead upon receiving $133mm in cash and 45% of the equity in exchange for their second lien paper. It’s certainly possible that some did.

It’s also highly probable that some didn’t. Take Ares Management LLC, Bain Capital and Paulson & Co. Inc. for instance; they each participated in a rights offering for participating preferred equity in the company in exchange for $220mm dumped into this turd (plus $145mm placed by legacy equity holders). Given that the RBL IS NOW IMPAIRED here, clearly that equity check hasn’t borne fruit. It was also used to pay the aforementioned $133mm of cash recovery so … suffice it to say … this does not seem like one that the aforementioned funds will be referencing in future LP-oriented marketing materials.

Emanating out of that ‘16 transaction is the debtors’ current $600mm RBL. This time around, it is the fulcrum security. The debtors note, “Critically the claims under the RBL Facility are deeply impaired.” And the RBL lenders have no intention of owning the assets — predominantly leases with various oil and gas mineral owners covering non-exclusive working interests in approximately 2,165 oil and gas wells over approximately 273,400 continuous acres of property. Let’s be clear here: first lien lenders generally aren’t in the business of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking. Of course, right now, the debtors aren’t really in the business of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking. At least technically speaking. Given where oil and gas prices are — thanks Putin/MBS on the supply side, COVID-19 on the demand side — the debtors aren’t even conducting any drilling. Typically they operate anywhere up to 13 rigs at a time. All of which is to say that the lenders’ position explains why this is a sale + plan of liquidation case rather than a second debt-for-equity play.*

To aid the debtors’ attempts to continue pre-petition sale efforts post-petition, certain of the RBL Lenders have committed to a $37.5mm DIP (with a 0.5-to-1 $12.5mm rollup). Pursuant to a restructuring support agreement, the RBL lenders have agreed to receive their pro rata share of any net sale proceeds and all remaining cash held by the debtors’ estates as of the plan effective date minus (i) cash needed to repay the DIP, (ii) wind down funds, and (iii) monies placed into a professional fee escrow. Royalty owners, materialman and mechanics’ lienholders will be paid in full. General unsecured claimants and equity will get wiped.

*We should note — to hammer home the point — that one of the events that hammered the debtors’ liquidity position was the RBL lenders’ April 1, 2019 redetermination down of the RBL borrowing base to $415mm. This regularly scheduled redetermination analysis created an immediate $22mm “deficiency payment” liability for the debtors as it had $437mm borrowed at the time. The debtors stopped making those payments in November 2019. They’ve been in a state of forbearance with the RBL lenders ever since.

$37.5mm DIP with $12.5 rollup

• Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware (Judge )

• Capital Structure:

• Professionals:

  • Legal: Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Basta, Robert Britton, Sarah Harnett, Teresa Li) & Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP (Pauline Morgan, Jaime Luton Chapman, Tara Pakrouh)

  • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal LLC

  • Investment Banker: Guggenheim Securities LLC (Morgan Suckow)

  • Claims Agent: KCC (*click on the link above for free docket access)

• Other Parties in Interest:

  • DIP Agent ($37.5mm): Bank of America NA

  • Consenting RBL Lenders

    • Legal: Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP (Amy Kyle, Andrew Gallo) & Richards Layton & Finger PA

    • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors LLC

  • Large Class A equityholders: Ares Management LLC, Paulson & Co. Inc., Bain Capital, Lord Abbett, Archview Investment, Bank of America, Seix Advisors, Bardin Hill/Halcyon Loan Invest Management, Oppenheimer Funds

⛽️New Chapter 11 Filing - Arsenal Resources Development LLC⛽️

Arsenal Resources Development LLC

November 8, 2019

An “array of resources available for a certain purpose” connotes something positive — an advantage to the party in possession of the resources. Of the arsenal. Bankruptcy sure loves to flip things on their head. We’re looking at you Arsenal Resources Development LLC.

Arsenal Resources Development LLC and 16 affiliated companies filed for bankruptcy in the District of Delaware on Friday. This marked the second prepackaged chapter 11 filing for entities affiliated with the Arsenal enterprise in less than 12 months. In February, Arsenal Energy Holdings LLC, a holding company, filed a 9-day prepackaged bankruptcy to effectuate a debt-for-equity swap of $861mm of subordinated notes. We wrote at the time:

Pursuant to its prepackaged plan of reorganization, the company will convert its subordinated notes to Class A equity. Holders of 95.93% of the notes approved of the plan. The one holdout — the other 4+% — precipitated the need for a chapter 11 filing. Restructuring democracy is a beautiful (and sometimes wasteful) thing.

And:

The company, itself, is about as boring a bankruptcy filer as they come: it is just a holding company with no ops, no employees and, other than a single bank account and its direct and indirect equity interests in certain non-debtor subs, no assets. The equity is privately-held.

More of the action occurred out-of-court upon the recapitalization of the non-debtor operating company. Because of the holdout(s), the company, its noteholders, the opco lenders (Mercuria) and the consenting equityholders agreed to consummate a global transaction in steps: first, the out-of-court recap of the non-debtor opco and then the in-court restructuring of the holdco to squeeze the holdouts. For the uninitiated, a lower voting threshold passes muster in-court than it does out-of-court. Out-of-court, the debtor needed 100% consent. Not so much in BK. (emphasis added).

Critically, the February restructuring did not successfully amend any of the company’s gathering agreements. Trade creditors were unimpaired and unaffected (economically).

With this bankruptcy filing, the operating companies are now in chapter 11. Which makes statements like these…

Is two prepacks in a calendar year a new #Chapter22 milestone? https://t.co/kjo4ft8KKU

— Jared Ellias (@jared_ellias) November 8, 2019

…technically incorrect. This isn’t a Chapter 22 per se. This isn’t even what we’d dub going forward, a Crapter 22-12 (two bankruptcy filings in 12 months a la Hercules Offshore Inc., another misleadingly-strong-named-failure-of-an-enterprise) or the “Two-Year Rule” violating Crapter 22-24 (two bankruptcy filings in 24 months a la Gymboree).* This is actually David’s Bridal in reverse: an out-of-court restructuring quickly followed in short order by an in-court restructuring. This is, technically, a “reverse Chapter 11.5.” We know…this is getting to be a bit much, but work with us here, folks: when the restructuring process becomes this much of a joke, jokester labels apply.

Founded in 2011, Arsenal is an independent exploration and production company that acquires and develops “unconventional” nat gas resources in the Appalachian Basin; it has 177k acres in the Marcellus Shale. The company is headquartered in Pennsylvania but its primary acreage and horizontal wells exist in West Virginia. The company had $120.1mm of revenue in ‘18 and appears on track to more or less match that in ‘19 ($59.3mm through June’s end, so, okay, maybe “less”).

In its latest Disclosure Statement, the company has the cajones to spitball the following:

“The Company creates value by leveraging its technical expertise and local knowledge to assemble a portfolio of concentrated, high-quality drilling locations, develop its acreage position safely and efficiently and install midstream infrastructure to support its upstream activities.”

Except, all we see here — across two recapitalization transactions in less than 12 months — is value destruction across the enterprise.** To be fair, the natural gas price environment has been far from accommodating over the last year. It is primarily for that reason — and a still too-levered balance sheet — that the company is in bankruptcy. This is telling:

…following the Prior Plan Effective Date, the E&P industry’s declining trend continued through fiscal year 2019, as exhibited by the following chart, depicting a natural gas futures-strip priced on the Prior Plan Effective Date compared against the same strip priced on October 22, 2019. As shown in the chart, since the Prior Plan Effective Date, realized gas prices have been on average 8.1% below futures strip (and the forward looking October 22, 2019 strip is on average 8.6% lower today than February 14, 2019 strip). Indeed, since the Prior Plan Effective Date, through September 30, 2019, 31 E&P companies have filed for chapter 11 protection. This represents a significant increase compared to the 22 E&P companies that filed for chapter 11 during the first 9 months of 2018.

Compounding matters is the balance sheet:

The new plan, which has been agreed upon by all three of the major constituencies party to the capital structure, will:

• provide the Debtors with access to $90mm in DIP credit from Citibank NA, the debtors’ prepetition RBL Lenders and, upon confirmation and emergence from bankruptcy, a $130mm exit facility;

• convert the term loan and seller notes into 100% of the equity in the reorganized debtors (subject to dilution) from a $100mm equity infusion from lenders Chambers and Mercuria.

This filing also requires — as a condition to the equity infusion — the implementation of amendments to two of five of the debtors’ gathering agreements and the rejection, assumption or consensual amendment of the remaining three agreements. Why? The debtors note:

“…certain of the Gathering Agreements impose significant minimum volume commitments (“MVCs”) at uneconomic fixed prices, thereby requiring ARE, the debtor party to the agreements, to pay for pipeline access, whether or not it is fully utilizing that capacity.”

Significantly, the debtors have reached agreement with the two gathering agreement counterparties on more realistic obligations in the current nat gas environment. Accordingly, the debtors hope to have this case completed by the end of February.

---

*Credit for “Crapter 11” belongs to loyal reader, David Guess, a Partner, who, congratulations are in order, recently moved over to Greenberg Traurig in Irvine CA. Cheers David!

**That is, unless we factor in the professionals. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Alvarez & Marsal LLC, PJT Partners Inc., and Prime Clerk LLC all get a second bite at the apple. Who says that debtor-work doesn’t have recurring revenue??

• Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware (Judge Shannon)

• Capital Structure: See Above.

• Professionals:

  • Legal: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (Michael Torkin, Kathrine McLendon, Nicholas Baker, William Russell Jr., Edward Linden, Jamie Fell) & Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP (Pauline Morgan, Kara Coyle, Ashley Jacobs)

  • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal LLC

  • Investment Banker: PJT Partners Inc. (Avi Robbins)

  • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on the link above for free docket access)

• Other Parties in Interest:

  • Prepetition RBL Agent and DIP Agent: Citibank NA

    • Legal: Paul Hastings LLP (Andrew Tenzer) & Richards Layton & Finger PA (Mark Collins, David Queroli)

    • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors

  • Gathering Agreement Counterparty: Equitrans Midstream Corporation ($ETRN)

    • Legal: Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (Mary Caloway, Mark Pfeiffer, TImothy Palmer)

⚡️New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing - Empire Generating Co LLC⚡️

Empire Generating Co LLC

May 19, 2019

We love when companies that have been circling around the bankruptcy bowl finally get flushed into bankruptcy court. Empire Generating Company is a name that has been kicking around distressed circles for some time now: The Wall Street Journal wrote about it a year ago, back in May 2018. Alas, it now sits within the Southern District of New York. It is the latest in a line of power producers to file for bankruptcy in recent years.

The company owns and operates a (now) dual-fuel power plant in Rensselaer New York; as a merchant power plant, it sells electricity in the wholesale market that ultimately helps power New York’s electrical grid. Very soon, it will likewise be able to generate revenue in New England. In fiscal year 2017, the company generated $91.8mm of revenue and $16.77 of EBITDA. EBITDA decreased to $11.05mm in 2018. The company also has a meaningful amount of debt. As of the petition date, its outstanding owed amounts under its credit facility total $353.4mm. Its $20mm revolver matured in March 2019.

The company cites some interesting causes for its filing. First, it gives an economics 101 lesson, saying that coal and nuclear facilities in New York haven’t been retired quickly enough to limit electricity supply and put upward pressure on prices. Second, it blames progressives (Cuomo!!): New York’s Clean Energy Standard requires that 50% of NY’s electricity come from renewables by 2030, creating yet another supply/demand imbalance that has placed “downward pressure on the price for energy generated by other sources.” Third, unlike retailers who blame bad weather for under performance all of the time, this company actually has a viable excuse: the abnormally cold winter of 2017/2018 increased natural gas prices, compressing the company’s margins. At the time, the company wasn’t yet “dual-fuel” and, therefore, relied exclusively on natural gas whereas competitors could toggle to more economical fuel oil instead. This confluence of factors ultimately led the company to default under its loan docs.

The company has since been in a state of perpetual forbearance with an ad hoc group of pre-petition lenders. It was on the verge of a prepackaged solution to its balance sheet but time ticked away and the company’s pesky lenders traded out of their respective positions. Per the company:

Once the debt trades settled, approximately 55% of the Credit Facility was held by the Consenting Lenders (Black Diamond and MJX), and approximately 34% of the Credit Facility was held by funds managed by Ares Capital (“Ares”).

For the uninitiated, debtors need 2/3 of the amount of a particular tranche of debt to approve a deal for a plan of reorganization to be confirmed by the bankruptcy court. As you can see from the percentages above, Ares Capital and the “Consenting Lenders” (Black Diamond Capital Management LLC & MJX Asset Management LLC) had “blocking positions,” eliminating the possibility of surpassing the required threshold. Months of negotiations ensued and, apparently, Ares and Black Diamond simply couldn’t get along. Uh, yeah, bros: Black Diamond is kinda known for not getting along. Just sayin.

In lieu of an agreement with those parties, the company has secured, pursuant to a restructuring support agreement, a commitment by Black Diamond Capital Management LLC & MJX Asset Management LLC to credit bid — subject to higher and better offers — their debt in exchange for a 100% interest in the reorganized company. The company has, in turn, rejected a proposal from Ares Capital that would confer $37.8mm in cash and 89.75% equity of an acquisition vehicle as consideration for the company’s assets (which it values at a total of $369mm). Why? It concluded that the offer was neither higher nor better than the credit bid; it also had concerns about valuation, approval and feasibility (feasibility!!!!!). Otherwise, the company be like, “PEACE, B*TCHES, WE DON’T WANT NO PART OF THIS INTERCREDITOR DISPUTE.”

And an intercreditor dispute there is! Ares objected right away to the company’s proposed cash collateral, among other things, saying that Black Diamond is steering the company like a meek little sheep. The objection is too lengthy to recant here but, suffice it to say, it looks like we can expect an old school private equity battle over the course of the case. Judge Drain more or less shot down Ares at the hearing, questioning, even, whether they had standing to object; he then went on to amend the proposed cash collateral order.

Absent a settlement between the funds, this will not be the last fight in the case. Pop the popcorn.

• Jurisdiction: (Judge Drain)

• Capital Structure: $20mm RCF, $430mm Term B loan, $30mm Term C loan

• Professionals:

  • Legal: Steinhilber Swanson LLP (Michael Richman) & Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP (Peter Partee Sr., Robert Rich, Michael Legge)

  • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors (Chip Cummins)

  • Investment Banker:

  • Claims Agent: Omni Management Group (*click on the link above for free docket access)

• Other Parties in Interest:

  • Secured Lenders: Black Diamond Capital Management LLC & MJX Asset Management LLC

    • Legal: Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP (Christine Okike, Albert Hogan III, Carl Tullson)

  • Secured Lender: Ares Capital LP

    • Legal: Kirkland & Ellis LLP (James Sprayragen, Brian Schartz, Anup Sathy, Stephen Hackney, Alexandra Schwarzman)

  • Secured Lender: Starwood

    • Legal: Vinson & Elkins LLP (Steven Abramowitz)

  • Ad Hoc Group

    • Legal: Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

  • Agent: Ankura Trust Company

    • Legal: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Darren Klein)

New Chapter 11 Filing - Enduro Natural Resources LLC

Enduro Natural Resources LLC

5/15/18

Enduro Natural Resources LLC, an oil and natural gas producer with properties in North Dakota, Wyoming, Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico, has filed for bankruptcy to effectuate a three-package asset sale to three separate stalking horse bidders.  The company notes in an endearingly self-aware way, 

"Like many other upstream energy companies, the Debtors did not anticipate in the early part of this decade that they would eventually succumb to the demands of repaying the capital they borrowed to invest in their exploration and production activities. But the prices of crude oil and natural gas declined dramatically beginning mid-year 2014, as a result of robust nonOrganization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' ("OPEC") supply growth led by unconventional production in the United States, weakening demand in emerging markets, and OPEC's decision to continue to produce at high levels." 

While the company took a variety of measures to combat the effects of these externalities -- including operational fixes and a prior out-of-court restructuring transaction -- its leverage remained too high in relation to asset value. Indeed, in the aggregate, the combined offers for the three packages of assets equates to $77.5 million which doesn't even clear the first lien debt. 

Finally, the beauty of a huge wave of same-industry chapter 11 filings is that you start seeing the same players over and over again. Among its top creditors are some other oil and gas companies with plenty of experience in bankruptcy court, i.e., Exco Operating Company and Basic Energy Services and, soon, Pioneer Natural Resources. The good times continue to roll in the upstream exploration and production space. 

• Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware
• Capital Structure: $208.7mm first lien RCF (Bank of America NA), $141mm second lien debt (Wilmington Trust NA)   
• Company Professionals:
  • Legal: Latham & Watkins LLP (George Davis, Caroline Reckler, Matthew Warren, Jason Gott, Lindsay Henrikson) & (local) Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP (Michael Nestor, Kara Hammond Coyle)
  • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal North America LLC
  • Investment Banker: Evercore LLC
  • Claims Agent: KCC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
• Other Parties in Interest:
  • Sponsor & Major Second Lien Lender: Riverstone Holdings LLC
  • First Lien Agent: Bank of American NA
    • Legal: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Damian S. Schaible, Aryeh Ethan Falk) & (local) Morris, Nichols, Arsht, & Tunnell LLP
    • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors

New Chapter 11 Filing - EV Energy Partners L.P.

EV Energy Partners L.P.

4/2/18

Assuming this filing has adhered to its previously announced Restructuring Support Agreement, this is pretty boring and so we'll just let the company's March press release speak for itself:

"...the Plan, which is subject to confirmation by the Bankruptcy Court, contemplates the equitization of all of the Company’s Senior Notes and the entry into an amended reserve-based lending facility with the Company’s existing lenders. Additionally, the Plan contemplates that suppliers, customers and other holders of general unsecured claims will be paid in full in the ordinary course of business and otherwise be unimpaired. The Company does not plan to reject any of its existing contracts as part of the restructuring."

The noteholders are agreeing to equitize the senior notes in exchange for 95% of the equity in the reorganized company. The upshot of this is that the company will eliminate $343 million of debt and debt-related obligations. 

Because no contracts will be rejected under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, all suppliers, service providers, customers, employees, royalty and working interest obligation holders will be paid in full in the ordinary course. Due to the company's Master Limited Partnership structure, however, stock holders will get hit by some "CODI" or "Cancellation of Debt Income" which ought to make for an interest tax filing. To alleviate some of that chafe, the company is offering 5% of the reorganized equity and warrants to the stock holders. 

• Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware 
• Capital Structure: ~$297 million RBL (funded, JPMorgan Chase Bank NA), ~$356 million 8.0% '19 senior notes (Delaware Trust Company)   
• Company Professionals:
  • Legal: Kirkland & Ellis LLP (James Sprayragen, Joshua Sussberg, Jeremy David Evans, Brad Weiland, Travis Bayer) & (local) Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Laura Davis Jones)
  • Financial Advisor: Perella Weinberg Partners LP 
  • Restructuring Advisor: Deloitte & Touche LLP
  • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
• Other Parties in Interest:
  • Ad Hoc Group of Senior Noteholders
    • Legal: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
    • Financial Advisor: Intrepid Partners LLC 
  • RBL Lenders
    • Legal: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
    • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors, LLC
  • Consenting Sponsor:
    • EnerVest, Ltd. and EnerVest Operating, L.L.C.

Will Update if Filing Differs from Advertised. 

New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - Rentech WP U.S. Inc.

Rentech WP U.S. Inc.

• 12/19/17 Recap: Publicly-traded ($RNTK) Colorado-based wood fibre processing company that services large pulp, paper and packaging manufacturers with three core businesses: (i) contract wood handling and chipping services; (ii) the manufacture and sale of wood pellets for the U.S. heating market; and (iii) the manufacture, aggregation, and sale of wood pellets for the utility and industrial power generation market, has filed for bankruptcy to effectuate a sale to FFI Acquisition Inc. as buyer (Scott Davis Chip Company Inc. is the affiliate guarantor of the buyer). The company's wood fibre is used in the manufacturing of boxboard, containerboard, paper, and medium density fiberboard for building products. The company blames a strategic pivot from the development and commercialization of certain alternative energy tech to the the wood fibre processing business for its ultimate downfall. The company incurred debt to complete various acquisitions and cost overruns in connection with the development of various facilities combined to limit the company's liquidity. Now, the company intends, under cover of the use of cash collateral, to use pursue a plan pursuant to a plan of reorganization. 
• Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware (Judge Sontchi)
• Capital Structure: $19.5mm Term Loan (GSO/Credit Suisse AG), $20mm L/C (Bank of Montreal)
• Company Professionals:
  • Legal: Latham & Watkins LLP (Peter Gilhuly, Kimberly Posin, Adam Malatesta) & (local) Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP (Michael Nestor, Matthew Lunn)
  • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors LLC
  • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
• Other Parties in Interest:
  • Prepetition Term Lenders (GSO Special Situations Master Fund LP, GSO Palmetto Opportunistic Investment Partners LP, GSO Credit-A Partners LP, Steamboat Credit Opportunities Master Fund LP, GSO Coastline Credit Partners LP, GSO Cactus Credit Opportunities Fund LP, and GSO Aiguille des Grands Montets Fund II LP)
    • Legal: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (Ira Dizengoff, Daniel Fisher, Kevin Eide) & (local) Richards Layton & Finger PA (Paul Heath, Joseph Barsalona)

New Chapter 11 Filing - Castex Energy Partners LP

Castex Energy Partners LP

• 10/17/17 Recap: People have been saying that there is still more oil and gas distress to work its way through the system, particularly offshore-related companies. Well, here, Castex Energy Partners LP, a Houston-based onshore and offshore oil and natural gas exploration and production company located primarily on the coasts of Louisiana and Texas filed for bankruptcy to effectuate a restructuring support agreement with its major parties in interest. The company owns interests in approximately 375 wells (predominantly onshore); it also holds interests in certain seismic interests and specific lands. Like most other oil and gas E&P companies, Castex faced "intense financial pressure" due to the decrease in price of oil and gas and consequent decrease in demand for drilling. The company's EBITDA declined 70% from 2014 to 2016. Yes, you read that right: 70%. Of course, it didn't help that the company made an inopportune decision to invest heavily in offshore development in 2014, outlaying $259mm "in anticipation of future developmental drilling." Timing couldn't have been worse, it seems. Also, the company simply forgot to hedge, apparently; it "was mildly hedged and was exposed to [a massive nat gas] drop." Given all of that, the playbook is pretty un-extraordinary: strapped with a nice chunk of bank debt, the company attempted to make operational cuts to help sustain cash flow while simultaneously running a sales process through Evercore Partners Inc. That process failed. So, now, the company has $4mm of cash on hand and a $15mm DIP credit facility commitment from its prepetition lenders and a restructuring support agreement between it, Capital One Bank, Castex Energy Inc., and the RBL Lenders. The company plans to equitize certain prepetition lenders' debt and emerge from bankruptcy in Q1 of '18. 
• Jurisdiction: S.D. of Texas (Judge Isgur)
• Capital Structure: $400mm debt (Capital One Bank (USA) NA)    
• Company Professionals:
  • Legal: Kelly Hart & Pitre LLP (Louis Phillips, Peter Kopfinger, Amelia Bueche, Patrick Shelby)
  • Restructuring Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal LLC (Ryan Omohundro)
  • Financial Advisor: Evercore Partners Inc.
  • Claims Agent: Prime Clerk LLC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
• Other Parties in Interest:
  • Castex Energy Inc.
    • Legal: Norton Rose Fulbright LLP (Kristian Gluck, Gregory Wilkes, Shivani Shah)
  • Prepetition & DIP Admin Agent: Capital One Bank (USA) NA & Consenting Lenders (Amegy Bank, Whitney Bank, IberiaBank, Frost Bank, Cross Ocean, Comerica Bank, Citibank NA, Bank of America Credit Products Inc., Capital One NA)
    • Legal: O'Melveny & Myers LLP (George Davis, Michael Lotito, Daniel Shamah) & (local) Porter Hedges LLP (John Higgins, Amy Geise)
    • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors LLC
  • Riverstone V Castex 2005 Intermediate Holdings LLC
    • Legal: Vinson & Elkins LLP (Bradley Foxman, Paul Heath)

Updated 10/26/17

New Chapter 11 Filing - Azure Midstream Partners LP

Azure Midstream Partners LP

• 1/30/17 Recap: Spurned on by the potential riches guaranteed by $105 crude oil and $3.68 natural gas, Azure Midstream Partners - a master limited partnership headquartered in Dallas - invested heavily in natural gas pipeline in 2015, incurring hundreds of millions of debt to fund the expansion. Shortly thereafter, oil sank to $26 and natural gas to $1.62. With the industry in turmoil, capex budgets contracted considerably and the company’s largest contract counterparties terminated or lapsed contracts (including Anadarko Petroleum Corporation), materially reducing EBITDA and triggering covenant defaults. Now, the company seeks to sell its assets in bankruptcy and liquidate the rest. Discussions with a stalking horse bidder hadn’t been finalized at the time of filing.
• Capital Structure: $175mm debt (Wells Fargo Bank NA)     
• Company Professionals:
  • Legal: Weil (Gary Holtzer, Robert Lemons, Charles Persons, Chris Lopez, Katherine Doorley, David Zubkis) & Vinson & Elkins LLP (Bradley Foxman)
  • Financial Advisor: Alvarez & Marsal LLC (Ed Mosley)
  • Investment Banker: Evercore Group LLC (Stephen Hannon)
  • Claims Agent: KCC (*click on company name for docket)
• Other Parties in Interest:
  • Wells Fargo Bank
    • Legal: Baker & McKenzie (James Donnell, Peter Goodman, Frank Grese)
    • Financial Advisor: RPA Advisors
  • M5 Midstream LLC
    • Locke Lorde LLP (Elizabeth Guffy)
  • Official Equity Committee (Wampanoag Capital LLC)
    • Legal: Brown Rudnick LLP (Howard Steel)

Updated 5/2/17