General Growth goes broke; largest commercial real estate bankruptcy ever
I highlighted General Growth Properties as a company that was in serious debt trouble a little while back. This morning, GGP filed for bankruptcy protection. The firm is entering Chapter 11 with $27 billion in debt, making this the biggest commercial real estate bankruptcy ever. More from the Wall Street Journal below:
"Mall owner General Growth Properties Inc. sought bankruptcy protection early Thursday in one of the largest real-estate failures in U.S. history, capping a precarious, months-long effort to juggle the crushing $27 billion debt load it shouldered in past acquisition sprees.
"The long-anticipated Chapter 11 filing might wipe out what remains of the Chicago company's stock, but it won't result in mall closures. Many analysts suspect General Growth will survive a lengthy bankruptcy intact, but perhaps smaller after selling properties, without resorting to liquidation. General Growth, which owns and manages more than 200 malls, is the second-largest U.S. mall owner by number of properties behind Simon Property Group Inc.
"General Growth's board opted Wednesday to make the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York after efforts to piece together a plan for an out-of-court restructuring with a growing list of creditors failed to gain traction, according to people familiar with the talks. The filing includes General Growth, its Rouse Co. subsidiary and most of its malls. It doesn't include General Growth's management company or joint-venture holdings. All told, the filing covers roughly $24 billion of debt, these people say.
"A General Growth spokesman didn't immediately return messages seeking comment. Trading of the company's stock closed Wednesday at $1.05, down 1 cent, in 4 p.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has declined by more than 97% in the past year.
"Finally forcing the bankruptcy filing after months of payment-deadline extensions was General Growth's failure to secure a deal with holders of $2.25 billion of its bonds to abstain from demanding immediate payment while the company tried to restructure its balance sheet outside of bankruptcy. Several holders of past-due bonds notified the company last Monday that they intended to sue for immediate payment. Meanwhile, additional debts came due on an almost weekly basis, making an out-of-court deal more challenging to reach."
The Journal story also highlights a key fact: That we're likely to see even more pressure on commercial property owners and investors in coming quarters thanks to crushing debt loads and falling property values. An excerpt:
"The collapse points to an underlying concern for the commercial real estate industry, too. Developers and property owners that loaded up on debt during the past real-estate boom now face mountains of that debt coming due. But some of those borrowers, like General Growth, lack the cash or the borrowing capacity to refinance or pay those debts. Many lenders are granting cash-strapped borrowers extensions of their payment deadlines, but that only postpones rather than resolves the issue. This year alone, an estimated $248 billion of commercial mortgages will come due, up from $230 billion in 2008, according to real-estate research company Foresight Analytics LLC.
"Meanwhile, commercial-property values have sunk, hampering the ability of owners to refinance or sell their properties. Real estate research company Green Street Advisors predicts a 40% overall decline in U.S. commercial property values in this recession."
"Mall owner General Growth Properties Inc. sought bankruptcy protection early Thursday in one of the largest real-estate failures in U.S. history, capping a precarious, months-long effort to juggle the crushing $27 billion debt load it shouldered in past acquisition sprees.
"The long-anticipated Chapter 11 filing might wipe out what remains of the Chicago company's stock, but it won't result in mall closures. Many analysts suspect General Growth will survive a lengthy bankruptcy intact, but perhaps smaller after selling properties, without resorting to liquidation. General Growth, which owns and manages more than 200 malls, is the second-largest U.S. mall owner by number of properties behind Simon Property Group Inc.
"General Growth's board opted Wednesday to make the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York after efforts to piece together a plan for an out-of-court restructuring with a growing list of creditors failed to gain traction, according to people familiar with the talks. The filing includes General Growth, its Rouse Co. subsidiary and most of its malls. It doesn't include General Growth's management company or joint-venture holdings. All told, the filing covers roughly $24 billion of debt, these people say.
"A General Growth spokesman didn't immediately return messages seeking comment. Trading of the company's stock closed Wednesday at $1.05, down 1 cent, in 4 p.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has declined by more than 97% in the past year.
"Finally forcing the bankruptcy filing after months of payment-deadline extensions was General Growth's failure to secure a deal with holders of $2.25 billion of its bonds to abstain from demanding immediate payment while the company tried to restructure its balance sheet outside of bankruptcy. Several holders of past-due bonds notified the company last Monday that they intended to sue for immediate payment. Meanwhile, additional debts came due on an almost weekly basis, making an out-of-court deal more challenging to reach."
The Journal story also highlights a key fact: That we're likely to see even more pressure on commercial property owners and investors in coming quarters thanks to crushing debt loads and falling property values. An excerpt:
"The collapse points to an underlying concern for the commercial real estate industry, too. Developers and property owners that loaded up on debt during the past real-estate boom now face mountains of that debt coming due. But some of those borrowers, like General Growth, lack the cash or the borrowing capacity to refinance or pay those debts. Many lenders are granting cash-strapped borrowers extensions of their payment deadlines, but that only postpones rather than resolves the issue. This year alone, an estimated $248 billion of commercial mortgages will come due, up from $230 billion in 2008, according to real-estate research company Foresight Analytics LLC.
"Meanwhile, commercial-property values have sunk, hampering the ability of owners to refinance or sell their properties. Real estate research company Green Street Advisors predicts a 40% overall decline in U.S. commercial property values in this recession."
posted by Mike Larson at
7:51 AM
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