GM Debt-Equity Swap Fails Before Bankruptcy Deadline

Bankruptcy

A General Motors Corp. bankruptcy filing seemed inevitable after a rebellion by its bondholders forced it to withdraw on Wednesday a plan to swap bond debt for company stock.


GM has until Monday to complete a government-ordered restructuring that includes debt reduction, labor cost cuts and plant closures. But a Chapter 11 reorganization is likely after the company said its offer to exchange $27 billion in unsecured debt for 10 percent of the company's stock had failed. GM has received $19.4 billion in federal loans.

The move came as crosstown rival Chrysler LLC headed to court Wednesday to ask bankruptcy judge for permission to sell the bulk of its assets to a group headed by Italy's Fiat Group SpA in hopes of saving itself from liquidation. Attorneys for Chrysler maintain that the Fiat deal is the company's only hope to avoid being sold piece by piece, but car dealers, debtholders, former employees and others are protesting.

Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection April 30, after the government ended talks with a group of holdout debtholders. Both automakers were pulled down by overwhelming debt, high pension, health care and other labor costs relative to competitors, a global auto sales slump and a dismal U.S. housing market that pulled down demand for pickup trucks, their top-selling vehicles.

News of the failed GM bond exchange offer sent its shares down 12 cents, or 8.3 percent, to $1.32 in morning trading.

John Pottow, a professor at the University of Michigan who specializes in bankruptcy, said GM evading Chapter 11 now is almost impossible.

Related listings

  • Court lets stand $13M judgment against Chrysler

    Court lets stand $13M judgment against Chrysler

    Bankruptcy 05/26/2009

    The Supreme Court has rejected a request from Chrysler to overturn a $13 million punitive damages award to the parents of an 8-month-old boy who died in the crash of a Dodge Caravan. The justices without comment Tuesday left in place a ruling by the ...

  • Filene's Basement files for Ch. 11 reorganization

    Filene's Basement files for Ch. 11 reorganization

    Bankruptcy 05/04/2009

    Discount retailer Filene's Basement says it has filed to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, less than two weeks after its new owner said it was reviewing "all available options." The privately held company also reached a deal that wil...

  • Chrysler To File For Bankruptcy

    Chrysler To File For Bankruptcy

    Bankruptcy 04/30/2009

    Storied Detroit automaker Chrysler will file for bankruptcy in New York court almost immediately, senior administration officials said Thursday. "We worked very hard to keep this company out of bankruptcy," one official said on a conference call with...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read