mi affascina General Growth, che dice ai bondholders: non vi pago ma fate finta di niente o devo chiedere la bancarotta...
tutto sommato conviene anche ai bondholder, ma qui l'hold out potrebbe essere chi chiede la cedola e scoperchia il tavolo...
* General Growth kicks off solicitation on $2.25 bln debt
* Asks bondholders to hold off on remedies until Dec. 31
* Warns it may seek bankruptcy protection
LOS ANGELES, March 9 (Reuters) - General Growth Properties GGP.N, the No. 2 U.S. mall owner that has warned it may have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, began on Monday to ask holders of $2.25 billion of bonds for nine more months of breathing room as it tries to refinance its debt.
General Growth launched a so-called solicitation process on Monday to obtain consent from holders of the $2.25 billion in unsecured notes issued by subsidiary The Rouse Company, asking for their consent to hold off on exercising remedies in case of defaults until Dec. 31, 2009. [ID:nWEN5671]
"This is a significant step in our ongoing efforts to reach a plan with our lenders to develop a long-term solution to the company's maturing debt," Chief Executive Officer Adam Metz said in a statement.
Metz said his firm had consulted on details of the process with financial and legal advisers to a group of bondholders owning about 41 percent of the Rouse notes in question.
General Growth, which owns or manages more than 200 shopping malls across the United States, in February reported it barely broke even in the fiscal fourth quarter as a deteriorating economy took the air out of consumption and pressured occupancy rates.
The firm, which began as a family-owned grocery store in 1954, had borrowed heavily to bankroll an acquisition-led expansion. It faces a debt load of about $27 billion, including $4.1 billion due March 15. [ID:nSP380442]
Its biggest deal was the 2004 acquisition of upscale mall operator Rouse for $14.3 billion, including the assumption of $5.9 billion of debt.
"If the company is unable to obtain forbearances from these creditor groups, or if substantial amounts of the company's debt are accelerated as a result of a default, the company may be forced to seek protection under the bankruptcy code," it said in a statement.
The firm warned Monday it was already past due on $1.18 billion of debt -- not including the Rouse Company notes -- and that this threatened the firm's liquidity position.
Shares of General Growth jumped 15.2 percent to close at 38 cents on the New York Stock Exchange.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINN0948628720090310?rpc=44