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May 16, 2008
Senators Continue Work on Housing
Plan
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Sen. Richard
Shelby (R-Ala.) continue work on a deal that would help homeowners
facing foreclosure and tighten the reins on mortgage giants Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac, The Hill reported today. Dodd delayed a
scheduled markup of his own housing bill twice yesterday to buy time as
the two struggled to reach a deal on the bill. One sticking point was
the portion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac profits earmarked for an
affordable housing fund in legislation approved by the House. Shelby is
demanding that the profits be used to cover the cost of the homeowner
rescue program, which would allow the Federal Housing Administration to
refinance up to $300 billion in mortgages for at-risk homeowners. Both
senators plan to meet on Tuesday to continue working on the
proposal.
href='http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dodd-shelby-close-in-on-housing-deal-2008-05-15.html'>Read
more.
Fannie Mae to Lift Loan Limits in
Worst-Affected U.S. Regions
Fannie Mae, the largest U.S. mortgage-finance company, said today that
it is ending a policy of requiring bigger down payments on mortgages in
regions where home prices are dropping, Bloomberg News reported. The
policy was adopted in December and will now end June 1, the Washington,
D.C.-based company said today.
Struggling California City Rejects
Union Proposal
Vallejo, Calif., officials have rejected a contract proposal from police
and fire unions that union leaders claim would save the city from
bankruptcy, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The unions earlier
this week announced they would take $10 million in salary cuts to help
the city overcome its projected $16 million budget deficit. Experts say
that the San Francisco suburb of 117,000 will be the first California
city to file for bankruptcy because its revenues cannot cover
expenses.
href='http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/15/state/n225637D04.DTL&feed=rss.business'>Read
more.
Court Approves Sharper Image Auction
Sale
Gadget retailer The Sharper Image Corp. moved one step closer
to exiting bankruptcy when a federal court on Wednesday agreed to let
the company sell itself in a bankruptcy auction near the end of the
month, Bankruptcy Law360 reported yesterday. According to court
filings, the auction will be conducted at the New York offices of Weil
Gotshal & Manges LLP on May 28 at 10 a.m. A joint venture, led by
Hilco Consumer Capital LLC and Gordon Retail Partners LLC, is the
stalking horse bidder for Sharper Image's assets. If the deal does not
go through, the venture will receive a breakup fee of up to 2 percent of
href='http://bankruptcy.law360.com/Secure/ViewArticle.aspx?id=56300'>Read
more. (Registration required.)
Trial Opens in Parmalat's Case against
Citigroup
More than four years after the bankruptcy of Italy's Parmalat SpA, the
food company is set to began presenting its case to a U.S. jury
yesterday accusing Citigroup Inc. of playing a key role in its collapse,
Reuters reported. Citigroup is the first defendant to go to trial in the
United States over accusations that it helped conceal corrupt
activity by former Parmalat insiders. Parmalat, which collapsed in
December 2003 and emerged from bankruptcy in 2005, is seeking $2.2
billion in damages from the biggest U.S. bank.
href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051500086_pf.html'>Read
more.
Fabrikant Wins Approval of Liquidation
Plan
Bankruptcy Judge Stuart M. Bernstein on Monday approved
M. Fabrikant & Sons Inc.'s liquidation plan, clearing the way for
the bankrupt jewelry wholesaler to wrap up its chapter 11 case,
Bankruptcy Law360 reported yesterday. Last month, lenders
including JP Morgan Chase Bank NA, ABN Amro Bank NV, Bank of America NA
and HSBC Bank USA objected to confirmation of Fabrikant's proposed plan,
claiming it did not leave room for them to recover fees and expenses
from an adversary dispute with Fabrikant's creditors. In his approval of
the plan on Monday, Judge Bernstein pointed out that he had ruled on
April 9 that the lenders were not entitled to administrative expenses
and therefore overruled their objection. Judge Bernstein also addressed
the objection raised by Troutman Sanders, which objected to a provision
in the plan that would transfer attorney-client privilege from Fabrikant
to two trusts upon confirmation.
href='http://bankruptcy.law360.com/Secure/ViewArticle.aspx?id=56306'>Read
more. (Registration required.)
Airlines
Bankrupt Frontier Airlines
Receives Court Approval to End Contract
Bankrupt Frontier Airlines Holdings has won court approval to end
Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings' contract to provide
regional jet service, Bloomberg News reported today. A bankruptcy judge
in New York agreed to Frontier's request at a hearing Thursday.
Termination of the deal is set for June 22. Republic has said it plans
to file a $260 million claim against Frontier for breaking the
contract.
href='http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/BUSINESS/805160407'>Read
more.
Fuel Prices Weigh on Airline
Mergers
Mergers between airlines have long been seen as a way to cut costs and
raise revenue, but now that oil costs $125 a barrel, the overall price
of the proposed mergers are starting to make consolidation look riskier
than ever, the Wall Street Journal reported today. United
Airlines parent UAL Corp. and US Airways Group Inc. continue to explore
the idea, a way of responding to the merger plan announced a month ago
by Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. But a UAL-US
Airways combination -- which would create the world's largest airline by
traffic, slightly outdistancing the Delta-Northwest pairing -- isn't a
sure thing. Chicago-based United increasingly believes it has other
options, including staying independent, spinning off its frequent-flier
subsidiary and bringing Continental Airlines Inc. into an alliance and
membership in the global Star Alliance group.
href='http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB121089982171197417.html'>Read
more. (Registration required.)
Fed Chairman Says Banks Need More
Capital
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke yesterday pushed for banks to
keep raising capital in the aftermath of losses from the credit crisis
to avert deeper damage to the economy, Bloomberg News reported today.
“They have at least partially replaced the losses with new capital
raising, but not entirely,” Bernanke said. “They are being
rather conservative in making new loans, which has implications for the
broader economy.” The Fed chief also said the central bank was
considering strengthening its guidance to banks on how they manage risk
after “weaknesses” that contributed to the crisis. While
banks and securities companies have raised about $244 billion of capital
since July, they may have further to go after write-downs and credit
losses in excess of $333 billion.
href='http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/business/16fed.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print'>Read
more.