Skip to main content

%1

Southwest Minnesota Wind Farm Sold Out of Bankruptcy to Bank and Local Investors

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

A community-owned wind farm in southwest Minnesota is being sold, ending a costly trip through bankruptcy court that its new owners say achieved just one purpose — escaping a hefty, unpayable fine for a lapse in filing paperwork with federal energy regulators, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on Thursday. Under terms of the court sale, four turbines of the Minwind project near Luverne, Minn., have been sold for $622,000 to a group of community investors led by farmer Dean Tofteland in a deal that closed last week. Seven turbines are approved for sale to the wind farm’s lender, First Farmers & Merchants National Bank of Luverne, for $1.96 million in a noncash deal expected to close this year. More than 300 small investors, including many farmers, stand to lose all or most of their investment in Minwind. It was completed in 2004 on two sites 8 miles apart under a state policy to encourage locally owned wind energy. The turbines have continued to operate during the chapter 11 bankruptcy case, which was filed in January.

Bank Buys Renault Winery Out of Bankruptcy

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

OceanFirst Bank, of Toms River, N.J., bought Renault Winery Inc. Golf out of bankruptcy last week and will operate the Atlantic County facility under the new name, Tuscany Resort, while trying to sell it, the Philadelphia Enquirer reported on Wednesday. Renault filed for bankruptcy protection last November as OceanFirst, which held a $7.9 million mortgage on the property, was planning to have it sold in a sheriff's sale. Renault's total liabilities were $8.6 million. New Vistas Corp., of Northfield, will manage the property, which straddles Galloway Township and Egg Harbor City. The resort employs 80 to 150 people, depending on the season, OceanFirst said.

NextEra to Sell Texas Power Plants in $1.59 Billion Deal

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

NextEra Energy Inc. agreed to sell two natural gas-fired generators in Texas to an affiliate of Energy Future Holdings Corp. for $1.59 billion as it seeks to reduce its exposure to the competitive power business, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. Luminant will buy NextEra Energy Resources LLC’s La Frontera portfolio, which consists of the Forney and Lamar generating assets. Their combined generating capacity can power about 1.5 million homes. The sale ranks among the top 10 U.S. power deals this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Utility owners have been divesting plants that sell power on competitive markets to focus on regulated operations where profit is more predictable. It comes also as Energy Future enters what may be the final phase of its reorganization, following 18 months in bankruptcy. The affiliate has already received orders from a bankruptcy court approving the purchase. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016, pending approval, and the purchase price includes estimated working capital. NextEra Energy Resources is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy.

Bankrupt Grocer Haggen Receives Court Approval to Sell 47 Stores

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

Bankrupt grocery chain Haggen said on Wednesday it had received court approval to sell 47 stores on the West Coast, most of which will go back to grocer powerhouse Albertsons, as part of a plan to emerge from chapter 11, Reuters reported. Bellingham, Wash.-based Haggen ran into debt trouble this year after a costly and ambitious expansion drive that included the purchase of 146 supermarkets from the much larger Albertsons chain. Now 30 stores are being sold back to Albertsons, which has been preparing for an initial public offering. The sales are subject to certain conditions, Haggen said. Haggen sued Albertsons in September for damages that it said could exceed $1 billion, alleging its rival had failed to adhere to the terms of a $300 million purchase agreement for the stores. Albertsons has denied the charges.

Bankrupt Walter Energy Set to Auction U.S. Coal Assets

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

Bankrupt Walter Energy Inc. received court approval yesterday to auction its coal assets as part of a proposal to emerge from a bankruptcy that has faced fierce opposition from unions and retirees in its home state of Alabama, Reuters reported yesterday. Walter Energy is one of four debt-laden U.S. coal producers that have sought chapter 11 protection this year as plummeting commodity prices, weak demand and increased environmental regulation hurt operations. The company has an offer from senior lenders for assets set to go on the auction block, including its mines in Alabama — the heart of its business — in exchange for cancelling $1.25 billion of its debt. The lenders have also offered $5.4 million in cash.

Energy Future, Creditors Reach Settlement over Bankruptcy Plan

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

Texas's biggest power company, Energy Future Holdings Corp., has reached a settlement with the last group of creditors opposed to its chapter 11 plan, increasing the likelihood the plan will be confirmed, Reuters reported yesterday. The company said in court filings on Monday that it had reached settlements with the official creditors committee of Energy Future Holdings, as well as a representative for some junior bondholders. The plan centers around the sale of its Oncor power distribution business, the biggest power distributor in Texas, to a group led by Hunt Consolidated of Texas. That deal has been valued at $19 billion. The committee had opposed the structure of the deal, which they said would allow Hunt to walk away if the deal failed to clear regulatory hurdles. Under the settlement, the committee and bondholders agreed to drop their opposition to Energy Future's plan and the Hunt deal. In return, they would receive some of the interest that has accrued during the bankruptcy.

Caesars Unit, Lenders Fight Creditors’ Bid to Bring Lawsuits

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. (CEOC) and a group of its lenders are seeking to block a creditor group from bringing more lawsuits in the casino company’s litigation-heavy bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reported today. CEOC and the senior lenders that have already committed their support for the company’s restructuring filed papers on Friday opposing the official committee of unsecured creditors’ request to bring lawsuits — which the committee says CEOC can’t or won’t bring before the court. In their objections, CEOC and the lenders pointed to the progress they say the company has made in formulating its restructuring plan, as well as a settlement of various legal claims at the heart of the plan.

New Bid From NextEra in Energy Future Bankruptcy

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

NextEra Energy Inc. yesterday offered to buy Energy Future Holdings Corp.’s Oncor transmissions business, which is slated to be sold to an investment group led by Hunt Consolidated, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The sale of Oncor is at the heart of Energy Future’s $42 billion reorganization strategy, but the company has chosen the Hunt-led group as the buyer. NextEra said that it stands ready to purchase Oncor in a deal that would fully repay creditors of the division that owns the business. Energy Future decided to sell Oncor to Hunt and allied creditors after an auction was called off that would have allowed NextEra to bid against Hunt and others for the rights to the regulated business, a stable, cash-producing piece of the Texas power infrastructure.

Bankruptcy Judge Approves $62 Million St. Michael's Hospital Sale

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

A bankruptcy judge yesterday approved a for-profit hospital chain's $62.2 million bid to buy Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, N.J., although the hospital's future remains in the hands of Gov. Christie’s administration, NJ.com reported today. Prime Healthcare Services of Ontario, Calif. announced plans to acquire the 148-year-old facility three years ago, but the state Attorney General's Office and the Department of Health have not yet completed their review of the application to determine if is in the public's best interest. Frustrated by the long wait, Saint Michael's executives filed for bankruptcy in August to protect the cash-starved hospital from having to make its monthly $1.8 million payment to the New Jersey Healthcare Facilities Financing Authority. The hospital owes the state $228 million in bonds.