What's debt among friends? Sometimes it can be a legal and financial headache, so firms must restructure related party debt. Case in point, Hallmark Cards, which has announced a new recapitalization plan that will…

Dubai’s attempts to restructure the well publicized debt of Dubai World have brought about a restructuring of a different sort: that of the Emirate’s legal framework. Foreign courts, domestic courts, and now…

Pre-packing for the trip through Chapter 11 has gotten busier…and maybe even faster. Debtors from CIT Group to Lear Corp have used prepackaged bankruptcy plans during 2009, to great effect. Driving this are bankruptcy processes and credit markets that make any other route so risky that parties cannot afford to careen into Chapter 11...

Anheuser Busch InBev, a Belgian corporation, filed a $5.5 billion exchange offer with the SEC. The company will exchange four separate old notes for new notes…

Builders FirstSource has disclosed that it will reduce the target tender percent of its recapitalization transactions...

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is taking another step in its carve-out of Enfamil infant formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. Bristol is offering its shareholders the option to…

Earlier this week, Limited Brands Inc, parent of Victoria’s Secret and White Barn Candle Company, executed an exchange offer of its 8.50% senior secured notes due 2019…

Qiao Xing Universal Telephone, an emerging Chinese resources company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, filed an...

These days, commercial real estate and financial problems go together like mom and apple pie. Hence, it comes as no surprise to see commercial real estate giant CB Richard Ellis entering a…

Bank of America and its ill-starred merger with Merrill Lynch can’t seem to get out of the gaze of regulators. In a whirlwind of recent legal filings, the firm appears close to settling with the SEC, but now…

The debt markets seem to have taken a shine to auto loan securitizations as of late, and recently, Volkswagen marketed a $1.3 billion securitization of auto loan receivables…

English football is sometimes known for its combativeness –but it may soon be known for its restructuring and corporate reorganization as well. In a corporate drama replete with leverage, hedge funds and the Glazer clan, Manchester United’s latest troubled offering…

Dubai’s attempts to restructure the well publicized debt of Dubai World have brought about a restructuring of a different sort: that of the Emirate’s legal framework. Foreign courts, domestic courts, and now…

In a CoCo-like move, BNP Paribas has put together its own contingency-based convertible securities, centered on a Knock-In Event. In particular, BNP Arbitrage Issuance BV…

Telecommunications company Conestoga Enterprises recently a filed a $1.1 billion exchange offer of 7.875% Senior Notes due 2017 for 7.875% Senior notes…

The energy sector is sure to be an area to watch in 2010, particularly where it involves China-based companies. Hoku Scientific Inc, based in Honolulu, entered into a securities purchase agreement with China-based Tianwei New Energy Holdings Co…

Making sense of the 2009 U.S. capital markets is no easier than peering into the capital market’s crystal ball for 2010. Clear trends like spinoffs, Chinese IPOs, and junk bonds drove the equity and debt markets during 2009 and these trends could drive the market in 2010…

While much of the news has been focused on bettering balance sheets, weakened UK companies are actually engaged in twin processes of recapitalisation and cost control. Recent debt and equity offerings reveal that...

After high demand from leading institutional investors, Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings closed private placement offerings of two series of senior notes totaling $2.5 billion, by...

In a further sign of the return of riskier second lien facilities, with equity kickers to boot, Hughes Telematics Inc announced it had entered into a $15 million Second Lien Credit Agreement…

MWB Group Holdings plc, the operator of 26 Malmaison and Hotel du Vin hotels, has announced a £30 million placing to avoid breaching its gearing covenants in its Loan Stock Deed…

Nokia OYJ, the Finish telecommunications company, has announced a Euro Medium Term Note Programme for €5,000,000,000, as part of its preparation for an apps war with Apple…

As Venture Capital firms continue to seek more stable, and sizeable, deals, Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) and Trident Capital have joined a private debt placement into public company, Xata Corp. Xata is a…

Brazilian government controlled and one world’s largest integrated oil and gas companies Petrobras – Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. may issue debt securities, warrants, preferred shares, mandatory convertible securities and guaranties, and…

Education services provider Princeton Review is raising both debt and equity in its effort to recapitalize. The company recently secured additional debt in the form of...

The Treasury Department announced earlier this week that it would sell its JPMorgan Chase & Co. warrants in a public Dutch auction on Thursday. The warrants were acquired by the...

Price is a central focus in M&A transactions, so much so that post closing price adjustments are now being set up both forcibly and contractually. Following the sales of both Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual, companies and shareholders are pushing back against…

Default threatens Dubai World and other global players with another round of financial shock. Comparisons to Lehman and AIG may be overblown, as Dubai has less in dollars and counterparties at stake. However, for those sharing in Dubai World’s capital structure, this is scant solace…

Chrysler Financial Services Americas, through an issuing trust, recently offered $334 million in asset backed notes...

General Electric Capital recently listed a $500 million sukuk on the Bursa Malaysia and London Stock exchanges. This is the first Islamic bond offering by General Electric’s financing unit…

Business is still booming for the healthcare industry, but CIT seems to be heading for the exit. Care Investment Trust Inc., a health care REIT managed by CIT Healthcare, completed the sale of interests in two…

Lloyds TSB Group PLC, the largest retail bank in the UK, is looking to extend its success with its latest private placement debt issuance of up to $35 billion in senior and subordinated medium-term notes...

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) recently dual listed a $100 million sukuk on the Nasdaq Dubai and Bahrain stock exchanges. This Islamic bond offering, the first term funding issuance of a Sukuk by…

In connection with the issuance of $546 million in Senior Secured Transition Bonds on November 6, 2009, Entergy Texas Restoration Funding has entered into various transition agreements with…

Barrick Gold Corp, a Canadian gold company, will raise $1.25 billion in an exchange offer of two separate series of notes for new notes. The old notes were originally issued by...

Clearwire Corp said on Tuesday that it would raise $1.564 billion from its current investors to help fund a high-speed wireless network it is building…

Diageo Finance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of spirits group Diageo PLC, on November 3 sold $500 million in notes...

Qiao Xing Universal Telephone, an emerging Chinese resources company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, filed an...

EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy companies, recently offered £10 billion in medium term notes…

Not quite as controversial as the delayed release of Bank of America’s secret bonus agreements with Merrill but still noteworthy, Daimler has disclosed the details of its exit from Chrysler…

Film stars, exotic real estate bubbles and international intrigue lend Dubai a patina of the sensational that masks an Olympian accomplishment in the emirate:  The near-instantaneous creation of a sophisticated financial regulatory regime…

The dual-listed airlines of the PRC are faced with dual challenges: they must contend with a travel boom (a good problem) as well as the glare of regulators, including the SEC…

Named after the Chinese word for peace, Ping An Insurance’s latest move is generating anything but a peaceful response. Recently, Ping An announced that it will be gradually unlocking…

Most companies have critical stress points – particular customers, suppliers, licenses or services upon which they are highly reliant for future success. But when that stress point fractures, things can get very ugly. Just ask CINRAM International...

With memories of $147 per barrel of oil still reverberating, the CFTC wants to make sure that number is never seen again, and is proposing anti-speculation rules heralded to accomplish just that. These rules seem to fall short of their goal…

AAA ratings, like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, were great gift givers once upon a time, but no longer exist. At least General Electric and Berkshire Hathaway have found that out the hard way…

In order to support more investor participation in corporate elections and help educate investors about how the voting process works, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a plan to educate investors about proxy voting…

Last week, PECO II, Inc., a telecommunications company focused on the production of electronic cables entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Lineage Power Holdings, Inc.,…

Gambling may be Macau’s jet fuel, but its lift is somewhat uncertain, balancing the actions of regulators, junket firms, and capital markets activity. Dubbed the “Asian Vegas” by the Western world, it…

In a signal that dot-com activity has not disappeared, once highflying Drugstore.com recently disclosed an agreement to acquire internet-based health retailer and services provider Salu, Inc...

Product recalls, a la Toyota, may keep many an executive up at night – but their lawyers will be up even later. While crisis management and a tsunami of bad press is the focus of executives, lawyers recognize this for what it is: the tip of the product liability iceberg...

The old childhood adage “the more, the better” is a fair assessment of annual disclosures. And when it comes to disclosures related to hedging, it may be more apropos to say that much more is better…

Williams Partners announced the completion of a $3.5 billion private placement to help fund a previously announced strategic restructuring...

Changes to the National Association of Pension Funds’ Guidance on remuneration and last year’s upheavals at Punch Taverns and Royal Dutch Shell, to name but a few, have motivated many companies to...

Foreign corruption enforcement is all about the “company that you keep” – and that company is increasingly under the watchful eyes of regulators. Casino Borgata’s recent changing of hands may be a sign that...

Insider reporting is going through some significant changes in Canada, with shorter reporting deadlines and the effective consolidation of provincial reporting requirements narrowing the gap between Canadian rules and U.S. standards…

Though commercial real estate may be in a downturn, multifamily stands tall (in a relative sense). It’s drawing the likes of Sam Zell, and perhaps even the Donald, back into the fray…

Bank of America and its ill-starred merger with Merrill Lynch can’t seem to get out of the gaze of regulators. In a whirlwind of recent legal filings, the firm appears close to settling with the SEC, but now…

Institutional shareholders and activist investors have gotten a big boost in recent months, thanks to unintended consequences from the SEC’s e-proxy push and other rule changes. These unintended consequences may get even worse this proxy season…

Following Javelin Investment Management LLC’s July 2009 launch of America’s first Shariah-compliant index fund, a similar Islamic investment vehicle appears to be inching closer to reality…

More than 80 countries are expected to participate in this year’s Winter Olympic Games, set to commence February 12, in Vancouver. This multi-billion dollar bonanza for sponsors and suppliers...

In Canada, cleantech is cleaning up. With more than 120 cleantech and renewable energy companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange, Canada is already home to more listings than any other country in the world…

The SEC, thanks to dozens of comment letters, appears aware of the importance to companies of climate change disclosures and plans to issue interpretive guidance on disclosure requirements…

Securities regulators around the globe are taking a second look at problems underlying the market crisis over the past two years in their efforts to prevent a future systemic meltdown, and Canadian officials are no exception...

Corel Corp., an Ontario-based software provider, has recently been contacted by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding a...

Though still early in proxy season, activist shareholders are already demanding a variety of changes to executive compensation disclosure and practices. Shareholders from companies diverging from Dow Chemical to Sprint, and Bank of America to Frontier Communications are…

Convio, a company that helps nonprofits raise funds, is now hoping to raise $57.5 million to help itself….

Even CEO-chairmen aren’t immune to the vagaries of fashion, and wearing two hats is clearly out. Whole Foods, E*Trade Financial, and Morgan Stanley are just a few of the companies that have recently decided to separate the roles…

Healthcare reform puts two constants, both death and taxes, on the line. Disclosures range from alarm to ennui in corporate America, seen from Aetna to Whole Foods.  Even amid the large body of companies that are part of the healthcare “food chain”…

A year after it was first posed by Westlaw Business Currents, “to blog or not to blog” disclosures remains the question. Google revealed in a widely-reported SEC filing that…

The London Stock Exchange is remaking itself, in a clear quest not only to retain its dominance in the UK, but to grow it. With DP World and Pearl recently announcing planned Premium Listings on the LSE, the message is clearly getting out. Less publicized, though, is the challenge posed to …

Bank compensation is now facing its latest regulatory threat, this one with actual costs attached, following rules proposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)…

The SEC has voiced concerns over legal opinions issued in the context of an S-3 registration. Merge Healthcare, a Milwaukee-based healthcare computer systems company…

Infrastructure deals are going legit, prompted by profit motives, private equity and $150 billion in investment promised by the U.S. government. The $4 billion bid for Transurban and…

“Big dollars for bigwigs” could be the catchphrase for 2009 and a rallying cry as 2010 begins. With much focus on new disclosure requirements for banks in the U.S. and U.K., Canada is oft-overlooked. Yet it shouldn’t be…

Perhaps influenced by the controversy over Bank of America’s forgotten bonus schedule from Merrill, the SEC seems to be cracking down in incomplete submission of agreements...

Pre-packing for the trip through Chapter 11 has gotten busier…and maybe even faster. Debtors from CIT Group to Lear Corp have used prepackaged bankruptcy plans during 2009, to great effect. Driving this are bankruptcy processes and credit markets that make any other route so risky that parties cannot afford to careen into Chapter 11...

Chinese issuers continue to seek access to western capital pools, with Toronto joining New York and even Frankfurt as favored western offering markets. In return, China-based companies are being received with open arms by the Canadian markets, though their disclosures continue to portray a hint of skepticism…

With Bank of America having narrowly dodged multiple bullets in recent months, a shareholder proposal has been submitted, designed to help avert future troubles…and the bank wants nothing of it…

Media companies such as Virgin Media and BT are switching on to the notion of a “Digital Britain”, and related disclosures are a hot topic in the UK these days. With the UK government’s announcement of a public subsidy for…

Boardroom battles promise to keep launching during the 2010 proxy season, an ever-sharp issue as proxy-drafting efforts now launch, too. Shifts in proxy disclosure standards must be gleaned, with plenty of fodder from…

Virgin Entertainment Investments Holdings, an investment company jointly owned by Richard Branson, Cougar Investments and Plough Investments, announced it has entered into a hedging transaction…

Cadbury Plc filed documents with the SEC in defense of its rejection of Kraft Foods Inc $16.5 billion hostile offer...

Kraft Foods is showing signs it still intends to acquire Cadbury Plc, despite Cadbury's Board of Directors’ recommendation that its shareholders reject the offer. Kraft has been in correspondence with…

General Electric Company (GE), NBC Universal, Inc. (NBCU) and Comcast Corporation filed the master agreement for their mega-joint venture that has been headlining the news…

Dublin-based Amarin Pharmecuticals extended its current supply agreement with Tokyo’s Nisshin Pharmaceuticals for transfer of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (E-EPA) from…

Sino Gas International Holdings, a China based company, filed a guaranty agreement and shareholder lock up agreement in connection with the purchase of up to $10 million…

With all the attention that executive compensation has been getting of late, it would only seem logical that Canadian issuers would take special care when it comes to compensation disclosures. According to the CSA, however…

As the federal government furthers its attempt to fend off a future economic meltdown of the nature seen last year, the SEC has taken a notable step: fraud charges have been filed against three executives of New Century's subprime mortgage business...

With the Australian mining industry still booming, companies are cashing in while the going is good...

Telefonica S.A., organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Spain (TEF) and Telefonica de Argentina, organized under the laws of the Republic of Argentina (TASA), in an SEC No Action letter...

Corporate carve outs seem to be spinning, ever faster. The upcoming spin-off by Time Warner of AOL signals both the end of an era and as the dawn of a new age of spinoffs. Joined by players like Rio Tinto and Bristol-Meyers Squibb, to name but a few, companies are using white-hot equity markets to unload assets or raise cash…

The $2.6 billion recapitalization by PE powerhouse Clayton, Dubilier & Rice of JohnsonDiversey is now unfolding. In particular, redemption of Unilever’s stakeholding in…

There has been a noticeable uptick in companies disclosing “Wells Notices” as the SEC is bearing its enforcement teeth. Many of the recent notices target executive compensation, subprime and other areas related to financial services. The recent raft…

The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the financial downturn, and as highlighted recently by Westlaw Business Currents, this has led to a recent pickup in financing activity. Just last week, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide…

Massachusetts based A123 Systems Inc responded to SEC comments dated August 3, 2009, regarding their initial public offering...

Cadbury, the UK’s leading food products company, has rejected Kraft Foods most recent offer…

Montreal-based Intertape Polymer Group (IPG), a plastic and paper packaging company, announced Friday that it will voluntarily delist its shares of common stock from the New York Stock Exchange…

Going private transactions (GPTs) may be coming back in style, with the cautious blessing of the SEC. Recent GPT activity such as Harbinger/SkyTerra, TPG/CPP/IMS Health, OSG/OSG America, along with the perhaps surprising…

Disclosure of non-public information is getting a lot of attention lately, as corporate America remains in the hot seat over its disclosure practices. The SEC is casting a wide net and is ensnaring employees and officers at…

Investors snapped up the shares of Hyatt Hotels Corp in their debut on Thursday, enticed by the company's strong balance sheet and prospects for a robust rebound in the lodging industry in…

In a healthcare deal with a big legal twist, a new $570 million merger was just announced. One of the leading providers of rehabilitation program management services with…

Oil wildcatters are seeking liquid gold in what was once one of the furthest corners of the British Empire, whether labeled the Falklands or Las Malvinas. Along with this quest has come a parallel quest for funding…

A little known, but recently notorious, corner of the commercial real estate world is actually going through an upsurge. Led by Passco, Inland, and American Realty Capital, it's powered by unique legal structures…

In the last few weeks, Travelport, Merlin Entertainments and New Look all have seen their IPOs pulled by their private equity owners, in the face of market volatility…

The AIM has just received a much-needed vote of confidence, in the form of an admittedly-small £6 million offering that comes with a couple of notable legal twists…

High-performance electric vehicles manufacturer Tesla Motors is driving into the public U.S. market with a $100 million initial public offing (IPO)…

Vringo, a video ringtone service provider, filed a registration statement for its IPO...

More companies with a link to China and Asia Pacific are attempting to go public in the Unites States. Following this trend is Hong Kong-based start-up, Eastern World Solutions Inc…

The IPO pipeline is hotting up in the UK, and Travelport’s announcement of its intention to undertake a total capital raising of approximately $2 billion (£1.24 billion) has started the first volley of London initial public offerings…

Ultimate Escapes Inc, a Florida-based company, filed a registration statement for up to $40,250,000 in common stock…

Gold Dragon Enterprises, a China-based gold exploration company, recently filed its initial public offering with the SEC. Gold Dragon is offering up to 2 million shares of…

While much of the news has been focused on bettering balance sheets, weakened UK companies are actually engaged in twin processes of recapitalisation and cost control. Recent debt and equity offerings reveal that...

Making sense of the 2009 U.S. capital markets is no easier than peering into the capital market’s crystal ball for 2010. Clear trends like spinoffs, Chinese IPOs, and junk bonds drove the equity and debt markets during 2009 and these trends could drive the market in 2010…

Capital market activity is starting out with some big offerings for 2010. Missouri-based Charter Communications Inc has filed with the SEC an offering of…

Frankfurt’s gain has been the NYSE’s loss, in both listings and trading. Global players from Allianz to China’s Vtion to Xetra have made this happen…

Avista Corp, a Washington corporation, has entered into an Amended and Restated Sales Agency Agreement with BNY Mellon Capital Markets LLC...

Chinese issuers continue to seek access to western capital pools, with Toronto joining New York and even Frankfurt as favored western offering markets. In return, China-based companies are being received with open arms by the Canadian markets, though their disclosures continue to portray a hint of skepticism…

The bailout benefits continue to flow from the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). Chrysler Financial Services Americas (CFSA) is launching a new $18.7 billion auto receivable securitization…

Brazilian government controlled and one world’s largest integrated oil and gas companies Petrobras – Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. may issue debt securities, warrants, preferred shares, mandatory convertible securities and guaranties, and…

TransCanada PipeLines Limited, a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure, launched a $3 billion shelf offering of debt securities…

As the credit crunch seemingly wanes, more and more companies are willing to take the risk and enter financial markets for the first time. The latest company to join this group is Financial Engines…

China Hydroelectric Corporation, a New York-based Cayman Islands company, debuted this week on the New York stock exchange with an offering of over 3,000,000 American depositary shares.….

Green Star Mining Corp. announced its CEO has resigned after selling her 60% interest to…

Solar Thin Films previously amended purchase agreement between the company and Zoltan Kiss, a former director, and his children was terminated by a mutual agreement....

Northstar Healthcare Investors Inc launched a $200 million dollar initial public offering. Northstar was organized to qualify as a real estate investment trust that focuses on the acquisition…

Education services provider Princeton Review is raising both debt and equity in its effort to recapitalize. The company recently secured additional debt in the form of...

Over the last few years, several European (and, more specifically, German) companies have delisted from the NYSE, instead favoring an exchange closer to home – in many cases, Frankfurt…

Sino Gas International Holdings, a China based company, filed a guaranty agreement and shareholder lock up agreement in connection with the purchase of up to $10 million…

Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, a newly-organized closed-end management investment company, plans to raise $811.5 million through a primary offering of common shares...

European bond issuances are not only up, they are sky high. Driven by the likes of Virgin Media, Fiat, Lloyds, and Britannia Building Society, both conventional and unconventional structures are rising. Only a year ago, in the midst of…

The real estate investment trust (REIT) market, after its brief decline this fall when a number of REITs pulled back on their planned offerings, REITs may again be on the upswing…

RedPrairie Holding Inc, a Wisconsin company has announced the filing of a $172.5 million initial public offering …

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. has made public all of its Class A common stock in an offering worth $345 million...

Corporate carve outs seem to be spinning, ever faster. The upcoming spin-off by Time Warner of AOL signals both the end of an era and as the dawn of a new age of spinoffs. Joined by players like Rio Tinto and Bristol-Meyers Squibb, to name but a few, companies are using white-hot equity markets to unload assets or raise cash…

As part of the continuing wave of bank changes, both Mercantile Bancorp and Waterstone Financial have just announced their own raft of changes. Mercantile, after receiving a second waiver for...

Telegent Systems Inc, a semiconductor company based in California, disclosed to the SEC its $250 million initial public offering with the SEC…

Fabrinet, an optical communications company based in Thailand, announced the filing of $150 million initial public offering with the SEC. Law firms for the offering include…

Fortune Brands, the maker and seller distilled spirits and golf clubs, issued and sold $400 million in notes. The company plans to use the funds for general corporate purposes, which may include…

There has been a noticeable uptick in companies disclosing “Wells Notices” as the SEC is bearing its enforcement teeth. Many of the recent notices target executive compensation, subprime and other areas related to financial services. The recent raft…

Much in the spotlight ever since executing what the Wall Street Journal called “the greatest trade ever”, hedge fund manager Paulson & Co. is making a significant investment in insurance holding company Conseco…

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is taking another step in its carve-out of Enfamil infant formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. Bristol is offering its shareholders the option to…

After years of reorganization, Archipelago Learning, an online education company, went public in an offering of common stock worth $75 million. In January 2007, Providence Equity Partners…

Initial public offerings and disclosures go hand in hand and IPO activity continues to be strong. Many of the issuers of the uptick are…

Cloud Peak Energy, Rio Tinto’s U.S. coal unit, has filed a credit agreement in anticipation of completing its initial public offering. Cloud Peak and Rio’s devolution is the latest in a string of corporate spin-offs and carve-outs to hit the public markets…

Energy continues to flow through the energy industry. Following its IPO earlier this year, Solarwinds is back in the market with the announcement it has priced 12 million shares of common stock at 18.75 per share…

Cathay General Bancorp, a California-based holding company, filed a shelf offering to raise up to $200 million in a combination of common stock, preferred stock, debt, warrants and...

Investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners Group, Inc plans to raise $100 million in a universal shelf offering…

IPOs are back, with their “plus one”: tightened underwriting agreements. Though companies like Dollar General, Ancestory.com, Hyatt Hotels and Calpine have all recently raised funds in the equities markets…

Lear Corporation announced in an SEC filing that it has entered into a Warrant Agreement with Mellon Investor Services LLC, a New Jersey-based LLC, as the warrant agent…

Citigroup Inc is planning to relaunch Citi Alternative Investments (CAI), a unit that contains its hedge fund operations…

PIPEs aren’t just stock price killers anymore. Prominent companies like Kodak, General Electric, and even Goldman Sachs have used PIPEs to buttress their capital structures. Not only that – they are…

Investors snapped up the shares of Hyatt Hotels Corp in their debut on Thursday, enticed by the company's strong balance sheet and prospects for a robust rebound in the lodging industry in…

Direcional Engenharia, a Brazilian building company, said on Wednesday that it was seeking to raise up to 228 million reais...

In connection with Hyatt Hotels’ planned IPO, the company filed stockholder agreements on Monday. The two agreements govern the sale of stock by the Pritzker decedents and other trusts…

There was yet another sign of activity in the metals industry this week: Olympic Steel Inc, an Ohio corporation, has proposed to sell up to $75 million in…

In the latest bank recapitalization, West Coast Bancorp has entered into investment agreements to raise $155 million from 20 separate investors. This move follows a cease…

In an update to yet another IPO, Maryland Real Estate Investment Trust Aviv REIT is still finalizing its $200.5 million IPO and piggyback offering...

Delaware, meet your match. Companies from Capmark Financial to China Pediatric Pharmaceuticals have been all over the news lately. For reasons having nothing to do with…

Smart money investor John Paulson is placing his bets on SuperYellowPages’ emergence from bankruptcy. After emerging from reorganization under Chapter 11 and incurring more than $9 billion in...

Fourteen people were charged with fraud and conspiracy in a dramatic widening of an insider trading scandal that has ensnared hedge fund managers, top Silicon Valley executives and…

The AIM has just received a much-needed vote of confidence, in the form of an admittedly-small £6 million offering that comes with a couple of notable legal twists…

Following Javelin Investment Management LLC’s July 2009 launch of America’s first Shariah-compliant index fund, a similar Islamic investment vehicle appears to be inching closer to reality…

The London Stock Exchange is remaking itself, in a clear quest not only to retain its dominance in the UK, but to grow it. With DP World and Pearl recently announcing planned Premium Listings on the LSE, the message is clearly getting out. Less publicized, though, is the challenge posed to …

Making sense of the 2009 U.S. capital markets is no easier than peering into the capital market’s crystal ball for 2010. Clear trends like spinoffs, Chinese IPOs, and junk bonds drove the equity and debt markets during 2009 and these trends could drive the market in 2010…

Despite the Christmas excess, UK investors are developing a ferocious appetite for venture capital trusts. Recent months have seen British investors hungrily moving out of pension schemes and into…

In a landscape-shaking move, last week Chicago Board Options Exchange received the official go ahead to form a second national exchange from the Securities and Exchange Commission...

Solar Thin Films previously amended purchase agreement between the company and Zoltan Kiss, a former director, and his children was terminated by a mutual agreement....

After months of discussion, the SEC has finally taken official aim at so called “dark pools”. A set of recently proposed rules will limit the exemptions in which that dark pools currently operate...

FINRA has proposed to amend its trade reporting rules. The amendments affect over-the-counter (OTC) trades, by reducing the reporting requirement from 90 seconds to 30...

A little known, but recently notorious, corner of the commercial real estate world is actually going through an upsurge. Led by Passco, Inland, and American Realty Capital, it's powered by unique legal structures…

Banco Santander Brasil has commenced a secondary offering of 29 million American Depositary Shares (ADS). The financial services company looks to earn up to….

Amidst strategic issues like financing problems and sovereign debt crisis, XBRL may get lost to C-suite and lawyers alike. But guard against that temptation. Companies like Boeing, Disney and Biogen Idec already file in XBRL and…

Both John Thain and CIT Group Inc have now proclaimed their return. In particular, Thain’s employment agreement with CIT, where he will serve as CEO, makes it clear…

The debt markets seem to have taken a shine to auto loan securitizations as of late, and recently, Volkswagen marketed a $1.3 billion securitization of auto loan receivables…

Following Javelin Investment Management LLC’s July 2009 launch of America’s first Shariah-compliant index fund, a similar Islamic investment vehicle appears to be inching closer to reality…

Vringo, a video ringtone service provider, filed a registration statement for its IPO...

Kids sure do grow up fast these days – even those of the corporate variety. In the past month alone, Time Warner set AOL free, Bristol Myers said goodbye to Mead Johnson Nutrition, and...

Online ticket sales company Hollywood Media Corp. has agreed to sell its Broadway Ticketing Division to Key Brand Entertainment Inc for $45 million…

The SEC charged Kurt B. Barton and Triton Financial, which co-sponsors the Heisman Trophy Trust, of offering fraud...

Educational Investors Inc, a Delaware corporation, announced it has entered into an Interest Purchase Agreement with TD Management, Joseph S. Monaco and Florham Consulting Corp…

Staff comment letters indicate CIT Group’s seemingly smooth prepackaged reorganization hit some potholes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)...

Shanghai-based China Real Estate Information Corp. (CRIC) entered into a share purchase agreement with its two largest shareholders, Sina Corporation and E-House China Holdings...

The Talbots, Inc announced it has entered into a merger agreement with blank check company BPW Acquisition Corp...

The Treasury Department announced earlier this week that it would sell its JPMorgan Chase & Co. warrants in a public Dutch auction on Thursday. The warrants were acquired by the...

Dublin-based Amarin Pharmecuticals extended its current supply agreement with Tokyo’s Nisshin Pharmaceuticals for transfer of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (E-EPA) from…

Texas Petrochemicals filed a Form 10 registration statement on Wednesday of last week The company is attempting to register its existing common stock, which was distributed to...

Financial holding company Zions Bancorporation commenced an offer to exchange $140 million in depositary shares representing its series A preferred stock for its common stock in order to…

Great West Life, Baytex Energy, Premium Brands and Jazz Air all have recently taken advantage of a seemingly healthy market for convertible debt in Canada. These markets are greeting new issues with open arms, attracted by the hybrid nature of such instruments…

There has been a noticeable uptick in companies disclosing “Wells Notices” as the SEC is bearing its enforcement teeth. Many of the recent notices target executive compensation, subprime and other areas related to financial services. The recent raft…

REITs and SPACs, beware of vultures in shareholders’ clothing. Using attorney-drafted charter agreements in SPACs and treasury-bound REIT limitations as weapons, just this sort of thing has happened to SPACs like American Apparel and to REITs like Colony Capital and Armour…

Teekay LNG Partners L.P. is a publicly-traded master limited partnership formed by Teekay Corporation that focuses on liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas shipping and transportation services…

As if the risks of derivatives weren’t sufficiently in the spotlight in conventional finance, the Islamic finance world is now beginning to wrestle with its own set of derivatives issues. Seen by many as akin to…

Going private transactions (GPTs) may be coming back in style, with the cautious blessing of the SEC. Recent GPT activity such as Harbinger/SkyTerra, TPG/CPP/IMS Health, OSG/OSG America, along with the perhaps surprising…

Citigroup Inc is planning to relaunch Citi Alternative Investments (CAI), a unit that contains its hedge fund operations…

Vornado Reality announced on Monday offers to purchase two series of debentures for cash. The company, a real estate investment trust (REIT) with extensive holdings in Washington, DC and New York City…

Subordinated bondholders of Wind Hellas will offer senior secured noteholders an incentive to accept their proposal to bid for the company…

Goldman Sachs waded deeper into Dark Pool discussions with the SEC and even suggested certain regulatory approaches...

Elan Finance Public Limited Company, an Irish public limited liability company, and Elan Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation, as co-issuers, entered into an indenture with BNY Corporate Trustee Services Limited…

GVI Security Solutions, Inc., a provider of video security surveillance, recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired and taken private by…