Sky Blog
On December 31, 2024, two separate appellate courts issued notable decisions addressing so-called “uptier” transactions. In a typical uptier transaction, a majority of lenders under a credit agreement, in connection with amending the credit agreement and providing additional financing, are …
Despite facing challenges both from Congress and in court, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB’s) “Small Business Lending Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B)” (Small Business Rule) is likely here to stay.
In December 2023, President Biden vetoed …
Traditionally, senior lenders have wielded all the control in bankruptcy and out-of-court restructurings. They usually hold liens on all or substantially all the debtor’s assets and enjoy payment priority over virtually all other claimants. Meanwhile, modern debt instruments often contain …
Over recent decades, and especially since the 2007-2008 global financial crisis (GFC), the corporate finance markets have changed considerably. First, there is more corporate debt now than ever. The 2023 banking crisis, and the ongoing macroeconomic conditions, further highlight …
Financial covenants have gone in and out of style over the last 30 years. They serve to transfer control rights to lenders when a borrower’s financial metrics breach pre-set contractual thresholds and so provide an interesting laboratory to study debtholder-shareholder …
The transactional plumbing of corporate debt payment systems is hardly where one expects to find watershed legal moments; and it usually lives up to that mundane reputation. But every so often, real disputes emerge, and they are often doozies. Such …
Academics and practitioners, including lawyers, emphasize the importance of conservative accounting to lenders and corporate boards, allowing them to intervene and take corrective actions at an early stage. However, conservative accounting may also increase the risk of false alarms and …
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced that it will adjust its supervision program by rescheduling a portion of its planned examination work. Instead, the agency will conduct prioritized assessments, which it describes …
On May 28, the Federal Reserve published the structural and operational details of the Main Street Lending Program, releasing program documentation and updated FAQs. These documents are the final remaining pieces before the facilities open. Last week’s publication brings the …
In a recent paper, we argue that outside investors are cautious about financing start-ups because such companies often lack a track record and tend to be managed in a less-than professional manner, with founders sometimes putting their own interests …
The allocation of control rights between entrepreneurs and capital providers plays a central role in financial contracting and corporate governance. Debt contracts typically include accounting-based covenants that transfer control rights to lenders when accounting numbers (such as earnings) fall below …
Credit Default Swaps (CDSs) enable lenders to distribute credit risk to parties more willing and able to bear it, thereby enhancing the liquidity and flexibility of individual lenders and the financial system (Greenspan 2004). However, empirical evidence suggests that CDSs …
It is well known that banks play an important role in monitoring borrowing firms (e.g., Diamond, 1984). Yet, how banks choose among alternative mechanisms that reduce agency costs with borrowers is not completely understood. In our paper, “Bank Relations and …
In our recent paper, we provide strong empirical evidence that banks play an active role in shaping borrowers’ tax planning. Our evidence is drawn from a comprehensive analysis of the impact of debt covenant violations on corporate tax avoidance.
Covenants …
Operating risk is a major concern for firm management and stakeholders. Stark examples of losses due to corporate operations include BP’s $17.2 billion loss in June 2010 following the Deepwater Horizon incident (Wong and Yousuf, 2010) and Freeport-McMoRan’s $13.9 billion …
Much of the debate in bankruptcy scholarship today centers on the extent to which the law protects stakeholder options. In a new paper, “Beyond Options,” we argue that this focus is misplaced. Protecting options is neither necessary nor sufficient for …