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Solar Company Has $50 Million Sale Approved Post-Bankruptcy

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Oakland, Calif.-based solar company Sungevity's $50 million sale to private equity firm Northern Pacific Group post-bankruptcy has been approved by a Delaware judge, the San Francisco Business Times reported today. In mid-March, Sungevity filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in a Delaware court. That followed months of layoffs from the company, which had hoped to revolutionize the way consumers used solar by introducing them to software that simplified the process. Instead, the company wound up insolvent, laying off 410 workers before it sold itself to Northern Pacific. “The agreement we have reached with the team led by Northern Pacific Group and its co-investors is a testament to their confidence in the future of Sungevity’s business,” William Nettles, the newly appointed chief administrative officer of Sungevity, said in a statement. “The actions we have announced will allow Sungevity to emerge as a stronger and more competitive company.” Sungevity said in its bankruptcy filing that it had assets and liabilities between $100 million to $500 million, but now that the bankruptcy court has approved the sale, Northern Pacific will pour $20 million in financing into the solar company.

SF Yellow Cab Sold to Competitor for $810,000

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San Francisco’s largest cab company, Yellow Cab Co-Op, was sold to a rival cab company Friday for $810,000, the San Francisco Examiner reported today. The purchase by Big Dog City Corp., which runs CityWide Taxi, came after a heated bout of bidding with Cabtopia, a taxi operator from Minneapolis, Minn. “This was a good sale price for the company,” said Sam Singer, a spokesman-at-large working for Yellow Cab’s bankruptcy trustee, Randy Sugarman. Yellow Cab’s assets totaled $8 million, and its liabilities totaled $26 million, according to its bankruptcy filings, and CityWide will assume those assets. Yellow Cab first declared bankruptcy in January 2016.

Texas Regulators Nix $18 Billion Deal for Bankrupt Power Company

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Texas regulators yesterday agreed to scuttle NextEra Energy Inc.’s $18 billion purchase of Energy Future Holdings Corp., finding that the deal was not in the public interest, Reuters reported. The three-member Public Utility Commission of Texas found that the deal, a key component of Energy Future's plan to exit an approximately three-year bankruptcy, placed too much risk on ratepayers, its members said in a public meeting Thursday. Energy Future is the majority owner of Oncor, the state's largest power network. The commission said that it was concerned about the debt of the combined company, the independence of Oncor's board and payments to the parent company at the expense of Oncor.

Gordmans Stores Attract Two Bidders in Bankruptcy Court

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The Gordmans bankruptcy has attracted two bidders who want to keep at least some of the company's 106 discount department stores operating, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The Omaha, Neb.-based company, filed for bankruptcy protection last week and announced plans to liquidate its inventory after posting losses in five of its last six quarters. Former Gordmans CEO Jeff Gordman is leading one of the groups interested in the company's assets. Gordman left the company in 2013 after clashing with the Sun Capital private equity firm that owns half the company. The other potential bidder is Houston-based Stage Stores that operates roughly 800 stores under several different brands. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Saladino said at a hearing on Monday that finding a buyer to continue operating the stores would be the best outcome for employees. But any bids will have to be deemed fair to Gordmans' creditors who are owed $131 million.