Personal bankruptcy filings have been climbing steadily since 2007 when the U.S. tumbled into a deep recession. With unemployment near 10%, bankruptcy filings are on the rise.

For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, more that 1.5 million non-business bankruptcy filings were processed, according to data released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and reported in CNNMoney. That's a 14% increase from 2009.

Continue reading Bankruptcy Filings Surge 14% in 2010

Bankruptcy Filings Surge 14% in 2010 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Early Thursday morning, Blockbuster (BLOKA) announced that it filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions. The move comes after an agreement with bondholders to recapitalize the movie and game rental chain.

According to the company, the filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York applies to the company and its domestic subsidiaries, but not to the non-U.S. operations or the group's franchisees. Reportedly, the group has agreed on a deal with bondholders to swap secured notes for equity in a reorganized Blockbuster.

Continue reading Blockbuster Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Blockbuster Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ambac Financial Group (ABK) took the earnings stage Monday night -- and the stock took a quick dive right out of the gate Tuesday morning, if that gives you any indication about the quarterly results. The bond insurer swung to a loss of $57.6 million in the second quarter, and warned that a bankruptcy filing is likely if it can't come up with a plan to restructure its liabilities within the next year.

The company's official release stated the matter quite plainly: "Ambac has insufficient capital to finance its debt service and operating expense requirements beyond the second quarter of 2011 and may need to seek bankruptcy protection."

Continue reading Puts Popular as Ambac Financial Takes a Post-Earnings Dive

Puts Popular as Ambac Financial Takes a Post-Earnings Dive originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Sex.com Sale Stalled by Involuntary Bankruptcy Filing

Sex.com Sale Stalled by Involuntary Bankruptcy Filing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Citadel Broadcasting Declares Bankruptcy

Citadel Broadcasting Declares Bankruptcy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Repros Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RPRX) easily takes the prize for most dismal earnings report of the day. Not only did the drug firm report a wider-than-forecast second-quarter loss, it also warned that bankruptcy is a real possibility unless the company can secure significant additional capital.

Specifically, Repros confessed to a second-quarter net loss of $8.9 million, or 59 cents per share, compared to Wall Street's consensus estimate for a loss of 46 cents per share. The company chalked up its poor results to a 16% annualized increase in clinical development activities for Proellex -- which has been placed on clinical hold by the FDA -- as well as a 60% year-over-year jump in general and administration expenses.

Continue reading Cash-strapped Repros Therapeutics warns of potential bankruptcy

Cash-strapped Repros Therapeutics warns of potential bankruptcy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As if there weren't sufficient causes already to refer to CIT Group (NYSE: CIT) as "beleaguered," the list just got longer. This morning, the financial services firm delayed filing its second-quarter report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), citing the ongoing restructuring of its debt as a mitigating factor.

Specifically, CIT told the regulatory agency that it could not meet Monday's 10-Q deadline "without unreasonable effort and expense," since executives have been spending most of their time lately attending to restructuring needs. The company is expecting a second-quarter loss in excess of $1.5 billion, thanks in large part to a loss totaling $2.1 billion from its discontinued home-lending operations.

Continue reading CIT Group plummets on going concern doubts, Chapter 11 threat

CIT Group plummets on going concern doubts, Chapter 11 threat originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the weekend, Six Flags Inc. (OTC: SIXF) announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (cue sad-trombone noise here). The company was saddled with $2.4 billion in debt and is taking this opportunity for a fresh start. None of the company's 20 parks -- located throughout North America -- will be closed. All Six Flags employees still have jobs, as well, so potential patrons should not feel as though corners are being cut.

Six Flags spokeswoman Sandra Daniels told the press that "This restructuring will have no impact on families who come out to our parks."

Continue reading Six Flags bankrupt, but the rides will go on

Six Flags bankrupt, but the rides will go on originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Downtrodden General Motors (OTC: GMGMQ) is throwing in the towel on its 2010 hybrid-electric Chevy Malibu, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). Due to weak demand among retail customers, dealers have stopped ordering the car, and the automaker is currently choking on a backlog of the unpopular hybrids.

To drive home the point, the Journal quotes Joe Menegos, the sales manager at a National City, Calif., dealership, as saying, "We could care less" that the hybrid Malibu is being deep-sixed.

Continue reading General Motors yanks the hybrid Malibu, warns common shareholders

General Motors yanks the hybrid Malibu, warns common shareholders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

US bankruptcies in the first quarter were the highest since 2005. You might ask what happened in 2005 to cause a high bankruptcy rate? In that year there were a rush of bankruptcies ahead of a new bankruptcy law that was designed to curb abuses. The law took effect in October 2005.

Now to the present. Let's look at the numbers:

• There were 330,477 filings in the first quarter, up 10% from the previous quarter and up 35% from a year earlier.
• The Administrative Office of the US Courts reported that consumer filings were up 33%, while business filings were up a whopping 64%

Continue reading US bankruptcy filings are still climbing at the highest rate since 2005

US bankruptcy filings are still climbing at the highest rate since 2005 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Early this morning, the Associated Press reported that talks between Chrysler's lenders and the Treasury Department had "disintegrated." The parties were trying to lower Chrysler's $6.9 billion in secured debt, a move that many hoped would stave off bankruptcy.

It appears that the hedge funds (roughly 40 of them) that hold roughly 30% of Chrysler's debt are looking for a deal better than the one struck between the banks and the government. The four banks that hold 70% of the automaker's debt agreed to erase that debt for $2 billion -- the hedge funds want more.

Continue reading Hedge funds break off talks with Treasury Department about Chrysler debt

Hedge funds break off talks with Treasury Department about Chrysler debt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Growth Properties files for bankruptcy protection

General Growth Properties files for bankruptcy protection originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Growth Properties: Too bad to fail and possible happy ending?

General Growth Properties: Too bad to fail and possible happy ending? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal, GGP's deadline to renegotiate a $900 million loan on two luxury malls in Las Vegas came and went Thursday with no resolution. The mall mogul is still in talks with its lenders to negotiate a new deal -- but it's now haggling outside the confines of its forbearance agreement, which means those lenders, led by Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), can demand payment at any time.

Continue reading Is General Growth Properties bankrupt yet?

Is General Growth Properties bankrupt yet? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"This was a difficult but necessary decision," CEO Matt Booty said in a press release. "We have been focused on realigning our operations and improving our execution, and this filing will relieve the immediate pressure from our creditors and provide us time for an orderly exploration of our strategic alternatives. This Chapter 11 filing is the next logical step in an ongoing process to address our capital structure."

Continue reading Midway Games files for bankruptcy

Midway Games files for bankruptcy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sirius XM (NASDAQ: SIRI) is up against debt payments that its management has been saying would not be a problem.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Sirius XM Satellite Radio Inc. is facing an important test of its viability this month: how it handles $174.6 million in debt coming due Feb. 17." Since the company has not reported its fourth quarter, no one knows for certain how much cash Sirius has. More debt payments are due later in the year.

Could the debt problem this month push Sirius into Chapter 11? It is impossible to tell, but the obligation has not been renegotiated or replaced with new debt.

Continue reading For Sirius (SIRI), chapter 11 looms

For Sirius (SIRI), chapter 11 looms originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some big companies have already gone bankrupt. The Tribune Company is the most recent. But, one of the trend's earliest victims was Lehman.

At the economy goes deeper into Hell with each passing month, bankruptcy attorneys will become the richest lawyers in America.

According to MarketWatch, "A sour economy and tight credit market clearly are just the right ingredients to bring about a wave of bankruptcies." There is no shame in it. Airlines have been doing it for decades.

Chapter 11 is actually a nifty way to stiff debt holders and employees. If a company can find an investor who wants to gamble they can get most of a bankrupt firm's assets in court, a debtor-in-possession, a judge can void loans and employment contracts in the name of keeping a troubled firm alive.

All of that may be good for the operations who seek court protection, but the trend would do further damage to the economy. Many of the firms who financed companies that are in trouble are banks. More losses for them will lead to more write-downs. And, that leads to more shareholder dilution and more government aid. On the employment side, cutting big numbers of people increases joblessness. That, in turn, ratchets down consumer spending and pushes up government costs to support those without work.

Otherwise, Chapter 11 is a great idea for companies in peril.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.

Bankruptcy becomes exit of choice originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Perhaps it was inevitable, but the car companies fought it. Congress, and perhaps General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Chrysler, are discussing pre-packaged bankruptcies as a way to cut debt and labor costs while the companies get back on their feet.

It is probably a bad idea.

According to Bloomberg, "Staff for three members of Congress have asked restructuring experts if a pre- arranged bankruptcy -- negotiated with workers, creditors and lenders -- could be used to reorganize the industry without liquidation."

Why won't it work? Several reasons. The first is that a bankruptcy plan takes time, the one thing Detroit does not have. A pre-packaged program means getting deals from labor, lenders and suppliers. That can't be done in a day, a week, or a month.

Next, some car parts suppliers are already near bankruptcy themselves. Asking them to take less money from GM and Chrysler could push them into Chapter 11.

Last, and perhaps most important, the UAW may not be willing to give up more than it has offered. It believes that it has done enough by saying it will defer car maker contributions to its VEBA plans and sharply reduce job banks. A proposal for them to take less may cause a series of strikes that could push GM and Chrysler into Chapter 7 liquidations.

Otherwise, the idea of pre-packaged bankruptcy is just fine.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Detroit: Chapter 11 finally on the table originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What's with Steve & Barry's and why should we care? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Goody's Family Clothing, a retailer of lower priced clothing, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. To this end, the company will shut down 103 stores (about a quarter of the total) as well as a distribution center. Goody's is located primarily in the southeast and has been around since 1953.

It was back in 2005 that Robert Goodfriend (the son of the founder of Goody's) agreed to a $327 million buyout (the private equity sponsors included Prentice Capital Management and GMM Capital). Unfortunately, since then Goody's has been consistently losing money -- perhaps because of the heavy debt load and competition from the like Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT). According to the bankruptcy filing, the company has $313 million in assets and $443 million in debt.

Actually, there have been a variety of recent bankrutpcies for retailers, such as Lillian Vernon Corp., Linens 'n Things Inc., Sharper Image and Levitz Furniture Inc. And, as the economy continues to slow down, I'm sure we'll see more.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Goody's filing for bankruptcy: Not-so-good private equity deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.