First Brands seeks control of USD 3.8m deferred compensation trust
Company claims ownership of trust funds due to document terms; insolvency notice, Chapter 11 filing cited as reason for trustee to hold funds for creditors

First Brands lender Evolution moves to halt USD 25.7m receivables release amid ongoing collateral dispute
Evolution seeks to pause FBG’s request to release funds pending lien appeal outcome; lender claims release risks dissipating collateral and harming recovery if it wins appeal

First Brands wins conditional disclosure statement approval, beats Chapter 7 push as judge calls confirmation ‘last real shot’
Chapter 7 conversion denied despite concerns over feasibility and cash burn; interim CEO testifies on plan feasibility, citing uncertain litigation outcomes

Optimum to show restructuring proposal to creditors’ advisors as company presses for deal before 4Q
Market participants discuss fraudulent conveyance claims amid reorganisation; creditor advisors are already restricted to review diligence documents

First Brands factoring provider Leucadia opposes disclosure statement, saying ‘death trap’ could deem creditors ineligible for recoveries

Provision disqualifies creditors from recoveries for objecting to plan, LAM argues

US Trustee moves to dismiss or convert First Brands’ bankruptcy cases, alleges ‘sleight of hand’ to dodge administrative expenses
Company faces USD 9.3bn debt, significant issues from tariffs and capital expenditures; DIP financing includes 30-day deadline for restructuring agreement

First Brands' journey from fraud-led freefall into bankruptcy to mediation-backed plan amidst examiner allegations
Proposed plan for debtor Premier Marketing Group is result of mediation efforts; case has been plagued with fights over adequate protection, discovery, and more

First Brands announces RSA, plan forthcoming via mediation deal
Hilco to manage winding down, including inventory sales and receivables collections; plan aims to resolve DIP defaults, allow junior creditor recoveries

First Brands Group examiner delays report as Onset seeks to strike CarVal Mexican law expert report, declaration
Examiner pushes status report deadline to 17 April, eight days past the original deadline; Onset, CarVal dispute reportedly centers on competing claims to about USD 16m held in escrow

Three former First Brands Group executives move to dismiss fraud claims in adversary suit
Three former executives moved to dismiss alleged fraud suit, claim no individualised misconduct; former executives contend conspiracy lacked a viable underlying unlawful act

First Brands secures final mediation extension to advance case resolution talks, judge warns against further delays
Judge approves extension of FBG case resolution mediation with Judge Isgur through 27 March; likely the final extension for case resolution talks

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 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

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

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

Rush to exit bankruptcy pushes more companies to file a second time
Four companies file for second time in 2025, up from one last year; Poor prognosis for Chapter 22 filers, with high liquidation rates  

Corporate default rates predicted to fall despite tariff uncertainty - S&P
Speculative-grade corporate default rates expected to fall on both sides of the Atlantic as trade tension uncertainty eases, but some concerns remain

Leveraged loan, HY defaults to pick up as tariff pause adds more uncertainty - Goldman
The bank expects macro challenges to continue despite the tariff pause  

Global corporate defaults on fastest pace since 2009 according to S&P
The number of corporate defaults has risen dramatically year-to-date, according to S&P Global Ratings, driven by a doubling of the rate of defaults in Europe

Lumen Technologies ad-hoc group preps competing proposal
The refinancing of Lumen Technologies, currently held by 1311 different CLOs with a combined principal balance of USD 3.8bn, took a new twist today as details of a competing proposal emerged

US CLO credit Air Methods Corporation files for bankruptcy
Air Methods Corporation, a widely held name in the US CLO market, filed for Chapter 11 this morning reporting USD 1bn to USD 10bn in liabilities.

Envision Healthcare draws lawsuit from fourth out lenders
A group of “fourth out” lenders to Envision Healthcare have lodged an adversary complaint over its 2022 drop-down recapitalization and subsequent ‘uptier’ exchange

Fitch notches up US lev loan and HY 2023 default rate forecasts
Fitch Ratings has raised its US corporate institutional high yield bond default 2023 forecasts from 3%-3.5% to 4.5%-5%, and its leveraged loan default forecast from 2.5%-3% to 4%-4.5%

Creditors look to block asset stripping in loan docs
Loan managers are using their increased negotiating leverage amid tighter credit conditions to push back on private equity sponsors’ ability to asset strip portfolio companies

Cineworld buys ticket for DIP facility with chapter 11 filing
Cineworld filed for Chapter 11 in the US Bankruptcy Court For The Southern District Of Texas on Wednesday, less than a month after the UK-based cinema operator announced Chapter 11 was among the options it was considering to “achieve its restructuring objectives”