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

Co-op activity heats up as creditors prep for heavy restructuring slate – EU and Northam Restructuring Insights Report
EXCLUSIVE: Peraton, Resource Label and RDM creditors sign new co-ops: Selecta noteholders file legal challenge to co-op

Thoma Bravo’s LBO loan deal for Calabrio draws mixed reactions over AI risk
EXCLUSIVE from Debtwire: USD 1.5bn first-out term loan marketed at SOFR+ 400bps, 97-98 OID; Investors divided on AI risk, some betting on Thoma Bravo's software expertise

Altice France new capital structure starts trading as investors consider M&A potential
Restructuring completed as secured debt trades; break-up of Altice France business possible through sector consolidation

First Brands Bankruptcy: financial tune up raised red flags that Wall Street overlooked
First Brands files for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; Stakeholders anticipate significant discovery into company's practices

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

Buyout Highlights - Overview of Europe Buyout and Financing Trends 1Q25
Leveraged loans are again the main source of financing for LBOs in Europe, providing 65% of the total volume issued in 1Q25  

Tariffs will push up default rates for several years, say agencies and managers
After an uptick in leveraged loan defaults culled weaker credits in 2024, many expected default rates to fall in 2025. But the uncertainty stemming from the Trump administration’s tariffs means those assumptions are now under threat

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  

US leveraged loan default rate set to rise to 1.6% by end of 2025: S&P
Macroeconomic headwinds, policy uncertainty and the reduced likelihood of interest rate cuts could contribute to the uptick  

US leveraged loan A&E reach all-time high—Baird
Amend & Extend volume for US leveraged loans hit a record USD 226bn, driven by a lack of M&A activity in 2024 and a still-high cost for refinancing.

Altice France reminds creditors that unrestricted subsidiaries can be freely spun-off
Altice France's debt documents permit the XpFibre spin-off, and most credit agreements and high yield bond indentures permit the distribution of the equity in unrestricted subsidiaries

US loan volume nears record levels
In Q1 2024 quarterly institutional loan issuance reached its second highest level on record. The period also saw the lowest quarterly share of new money issuance, at just 13% of total activity

European companies reprice EUR 16bn of loans in 2024 as window opens
When the European loan market started to talk about rates peaking late in 2023, repricing rehearsed a comeback, but did so effectively in January this year

US borrowers try again with high-water mark provisions
In the US, high-water marking of EBITDA was rebuffed back in 2022. But the concept has been used regularly in Europe and US borrowers are once again slipping it into credit agreements

Wave of legal hires becomes a tsunami
In February alone legal heavyweights Allen & Overy, DLA Piper, Fried Frank, Kirkland & Ellis, Proskauer Rose and White & Case all announced the arrival of partners in the credit space

Full-year 2023 European Leveraged Highlights
Debtwire has released the full-year 2023 European Leveraged Highlights, containing key trends in the leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets

End on a high: institutional loan and HY bond issuance rises 44% YoY
Leveraged finance (LevFin) issuance across the US institutional loan and high-yield (HY) bond markets totalled USD 529bn in 2023, representing a 44% year-on-year (YoY) increase

November 2023 US Leveraged Highlights
Debtwire today releases the November 2023 US Leveraged Highlights, featuring key trends in the leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets

DebtDynamics EMEA | Right on time
Leveraged loan borrowers favouring shorter tenors pile maturities for 2028

Fortress taps BlackRock for sponsor coverage hire
Fortress Investment Group has hired a new director to focus on sponsor coverage and origination in in Fortress’ credit business

DebtDynamics EMEA | Under pressure: likely-to-distress scores highlight struggling industries and regional woes
The European leveraged market has crossed the threshold of 100 companies at the stressed/distressed lifecycle stage, according to Debtwire data

Loan Highlights 3Q23: Loan volumes remain significantly lower than historical averages
Capital markets loan activity continued to struggle in the third quarter of 2023, as issuers in the Americas and Europe held off from tapping markets

ICG taps Apollo partner as head of US liquid credit
The new head of US liquid credit has been tasked with helping grow ICG's US credit business