Commercial lending

Bausch, formerly Valeant Pharmaceuticals, has paid down more than $24 billion of the $32 billion in leverage it owed five years ago from a debt-driven acquisition spree — which ended after a drug-pricing scandal.

The agency cited improving used-car prices that have elevated resale values of off-lease vehicles that drivers are turning back into dealerships.

The buyout industry has about $3 trillion of unrealized value on its books, according to Preqin. And it’s tapping that to land loans for bolt-on deals, to refinance debt or bail out struggling companies in their portfolios.

Deals, trends and research in structured finance and asset-backed securities for the week of Dec. 18-23

The legislation would let banks postpone the start date of the Current Expected Credit Losses accounting standard and delay categorizing pandemic-related loan modifications as troubled debt restructurings.

Bankruptcies reached levels not seen in a decade, distressed debt soared to almost $1 trillion and it may take years to repair the damage to airlines, restaurants and hotels. While 2020 may be over, the drama probably isn’t.

Win or lose, Citibank’s battle to recover half a billion dollars from an accidental payment is sure to prompt a review of internal controls in the industry and could have a lasting impact on the more than $1 trillion syndicated loan market.

The online lender, which raised $240 million, wants to take its artificial intelligence technology for evaluating borrowers to the next level and expand its partnerships with banks, its CEO says.

Investment firms and hedge funds are increasingly engineering bankruptcy loans and side deals to take control of Chapter 11 reorganizations from the outset, locking in rich rewards for themselves while potentially locking out rivals and lower-ranking creditors with little transparency. The trend is sure to speed up cases, but it also forces judges to make quick decisions that may shortchange some valid claims.

Promising vaccines may not reach the general public fast enough to save a number of struggling companies next year, and workout professionals and distressed investors are expecting smaller private companies will search for cash in 2021. They’re also anticipating that businesses of all sizes may struggle to adjust to changing consumer habits in a post-pandemic world.