First Brands seeks expedited sale of Walbro business for USD 50m to Overdrive Capital
USD 50m cash purchase price plus assumed liabilities, Polaris Industries as guarantor; expedited approval needed due to funding constraints and potential job losses

Raistone enters Chapter 7 following First Brands filing; judge in Highland Chapter 11 case recuses herself after allegations about her novels
Judge Stacey Jernigan of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas recused herself from multiple matters in Highland Capital Management's Chapter 11 case after parties argued that novels she authored portrayed a hedge fund executive involved in the case

AI’s potential may be underestimated despite investing concerns – Howard Marks
AI’s potential is likely underestimated, but worries about job losses and an AI investment bubble persist, said Oaktree co-founder Howard Marks in a new memo

A historical SFVegas confab marked by snow, fire and AI
Software leveraged loans sold off during the annual industry meeting in Las Vegas

Raistone enters Chapter 7 to liquidate following major customer First Brands’ collapse into Chapter 11
Raistone provided factoring services to First Brands, its largest revenue source; First Brands faces fraud allegations, with Raistone having significant unsecured credit exposure

Software private credit names face refinancing risks amid AI fears – KBRA
ANALYSIS: The ratings agency also noted that software exposure alone is not a risk to BDCs, private credit CLOs and direct lending portfolios

A fiery start to the year
Welcome to the first issue of the Creditflux magazine for 2026. Our cover pays homage to the Lunar New Year, which begins on February 17 and is symbolised by the horse

Software loans face further declines as AI fears persist
The rapid deployment of artificial intelligence is wreaking havoc with software companies that not long ago were darlings of the US leveraged loans market

CLO market dulled by software spillover
The new year kicked off with one of the most bullish sentiments ever for the CLO market. Already, barely into February, the mood has been tempered

‘This is a perfect storm for the loan market’
Investing Corner with Michael Sobol, global head of investing at Blackstone

US lev loans, CLO spreads move in opposite directions as market worries deepen over software loans
ANALYSIS: The unusual dynamic has been driven by worries about disruption from artificial intelligence, as investors fret about the potentially wide-ranging impacts across a range of sectors

Retail and consumer credits show weaker fundamentals – BlackRock co-head of leveraged finance Mitch Garfin
PODCAST: There are opportunities in the market, according to Mitch Garfin, co-head of leveraged finance at BlackRock – but consumer and retail-oriented sectors are under pressure 

First Brands CEO Patrick James indicted on charges of defrauding lenders
James is accused of multiple fraudulent schemes, with brother Edward James also indicted; they are facing charges on bank and wire fraud

AI to boost credit markets in 'bullish' 2026 – Janus Henderson head of multi-sector credit John Lloyd
A productivity boost powered by AI is just one of the reasons for investors to be upbeat about fixed income and credit generally, says John Lloyd, global head of multi-sector credit at Janus Henderson, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee

Key theme for 2026 will be growth in the loan market – Eagle Point founder Tom Majewski

Growth in the loan market will be an important market driver this year, the founder of Eagle Point Credit Management says on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee; also shares Eagle Point ressearch that shows LMEs at 2% per year on top of default rates

Lev loan guidance shift will challenge private credit CLOs, bring more new loan supply – Shenkman
EXCLUSIVE: Regulators rolling back restrictive guidance around leveraged lending could help traditional bank lenders claw back market share from US direct lenders

Investors scrutinise ABF managers' collateral diligence standards
Investors are keeping a close eye on how private credit managers lending against collateral are conducting diligence on those underlying assets, following prominent bankruptcies that have spotlighted the risk of lending against assets

ATLAS SP loan trader moves to Scotiabank
New York-based Andres Rodlauer has taken up a new role as head of US Whole Loan Trading at the Canadian bank

US regulators walk back post GFC leveraged lending restrictions
The OCC and FDIC now say the guidance was overly restrictive and that banks should rely on general risk management principles to manage their leveraged lending activity

First Brands’ disputes raise alarming concerns that all SPV lenders should be watching – Legal Analysis
SPV lenders face potential risks, including substantive consolidation and collateral devaluation

New loan shop Mountain Point eyes move into the CLO market
EXCLUSIVE: The manager, which launched last week with a focus on broadly syndicated loans in partnership with Eagle Point, is considering opportunities in the CLO market.

First Brands examiner officially approved following negotiations on scope
Key parties agree on scope and budget after negotiations; Examiner to probe allegedly missing funds, review company transactions within USD 7m budget

First Brands Group faces UMB Bank objection to Weil Gotshal, Lazard, and Alvarez retentions over conflict concerns
UMB Bank questions Weil’s independence, dual representation of debtors and non-debtors; Bank cites removal of Global Assets’ independent director and potential SPE conflicts

Borrowers gear up for January window as activity in 2025 slowly winds down
EXCLUSIVE: Bankers more credit focused as year comes to an end; IAS could come to market next week to fund Novacap's USD 1.9bn acquisition

Investors leverage AI disruption bet with term loan shorts
Short sellers believed to target SonicWall, Internet Brands, Consilio and Epiq; naked shorts used in the leveraged loan market, posing reputational risk to funds and dealers