 | | Featured Premium Content | | | | | Debtwire: At Home Group RSA Reflects Recognition of “Double Dip” Transaction
At Home Group and several affiliates on June 16 entered chapter 11 protection with a restructuring support agreement (RSA) providing for a pre-arranged chapter 11 plan that would hand almost all of the equity in the reorganized company to a group of DIP lenders who are also holders of the debtors’ prepetition first lien debt, according to a Debtwire restructuring profile. The RSA does not specify the recoveries for general unsecured creditors. However, it is clear that holders of existing equity would receive no recovery. READ MORE | | | | | SPONSORED CONTENTDefault Rate May Not Tell the Whole StoryThe expected increase in loan defaults in 2024 never materialized. But while corporate credit health appears strong on the surface, there are signs of potential weakness underneath. This article examines current trends to help you stay informed about silent loan defaults, private credit default trends, impacts on maturities, and more. DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLE | | ABI@NCBJ
ABI is honored to be hosting a reception at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at NCBJ in Chicago, as well as educational sessions on Friday, Sept. 19. To register for the conference, please click here. At NCBJ, ABI also will be handing out the 2025 Judge William L. Norton Jr. Judicial Excellence Award. Nominations for that award will be accepted until July 15, 2025, and can be submitted at arin.berkson@thomsonreuters.com. | | |  | | Editor's Picks | | | | | Forever 21’s U.S. Operator Wins Court Approval to Liquidate
The former operator of Forever 21’s U.S. stores won court approval on a plan to partially repay vendors and other creditors that stand to incur big losses in the retailer’s bankruptcy, Bloomberg News reported. The repayment plan includes a settlement with lenders and former Forever 21 parent Sparc Group that’s designed to boost recoveries for unsecured creditors that stood to get pennies on the dollar. Sparc agreed to fully waive a $323 million claim that would have diluted any amounts received by unsecured creditors. They will get 70% of any net proceeds that F21 OpCo obtains during liquidation. READ MORE | | Dolche Truckload Files for Bankruptcy After Defaulting on Tractor, Trailer Loan Payments
Following a notice of default and a bank lawsuit seeking repayment, Dolche Truckload Corp. filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move its owner says will help the carrier renegotiate its debts, TruckingDive.com reported. The Illinois-based carrier reported over $1.9 million in assets and $3.4 million in liabilities, according to the June 15 filing. No layoffs are occurring, and the company is continuing with business as usual, Evans said. READ MORE | | DOJ Unit Opposes Lead Bid for AmplifyBio’s Assets in Bankruptcy
The Justice Department’s bankruptcy monitor asked a court to reject the lead offer for biotech firm AmplifyBio’s assets, saying it’s about $10 million below the minimum value, Bloomberg Law reported. The U.S. Trustee objected to AmplifyBio’s motion to approve $20 million bidding procedures with Battelle Memorial Institute, the proposed stalking-horse bidder, according to a Monday filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. (Subscription required.) READ MORE
MORE NEWS BELOW | | | | |  | | Upcoming Events | | | | | ABI Southeast Bankruptcy WorkshopThe Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
July 24-27 | Amelia Island, Fla. | | ABI Endowment Tequila Mixology ClassThe Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island & Spa
July 26 | Amelia Island, Fla. | | | | |  | | Daily Roundup | | | | | More Homeowners Find Themselves Underwater
Homeowners who bought around the peak of the market are increasingly finding they owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth, the Wall Street Journal reported. The number of owners who are underwater is small but growing, and they have recently been concentrated in pandemic boomtowns such as Austin, Texas, and Cape Coral, Fla. A rapid rise in prices in these areas was followed by drops of almost 20% in some of them. Those who bought at the top have seen value slip out of their homes since then. (Subscription required.) READ MORE | | U.S. Exchanges, SEC in Talks to Ease Public Company Regulations
U.S. exchange operators are in talks with the Securities and Exchanges Commission on easing regulatory burdens for public companies, as they seek to encourage more richly valued startups to list, Reuters reported. These deliberations involve the SEC, Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. The reforms under discussion range from reducing the quantum of disclosures and the costs of going public to making it harder for minority investors to agitate. READ MORE | | Big U.S. Banks Expected to Ace Stress Tests, Boost Dividends
The biggest U.S. lenders are expected to clear the Federal Reserve's annual health check this year, showing they have ample capital that can be used to boost dividends, analysts said, Reuters reported. The results of the central bank's so-called “stress tests” on Friday will determine how much cash lenders would need to hold to withstand a severe economic downturn. A less strenuous methodology this year means banks will probably perform better and return more money to investors via dividends and share buybacks, analysts said. READ MORE | | Fed Chair Powell Holds Firm on Interest Rates, Resisting Pressure to Cut
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated his view that the central bank should keep interest rates steady for now, citing inflation risks from U.S. tariffs, CBSNews.com reported. Powell, who made his remarks in prepared testimony Tuesday before the House Committee on Financial Services, has been under pressure from President Trump to cut rates, which would make it cheaper for consumers and businesses to borrow money. At its June 18 meeting, the Fed maintained its benchmark rate in a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, where it's been parked since December. READ MORE | | Stablecoins Fall Short as Cornerstone of Monetary System, Central Banks Say
Demand for stablecoins has risen significantly but the crypto assets shouldn’t be the mainstay of the future monetary system, a group representing the world’s top central banks said, the Wall Street Journal reported. Stablecoins, a cryptocurrency pegged to a traditional asset class such as the dollar, fall short of the requirements needed to ensure sound monetary arrangements, the annual economic report of Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements said. The BIS’s members include the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank. (Subscription required.) READ MORE | | | | |
