One month ago, Judge Christopher Klein ruled in the city of Stockton, CA bankruptcy case that public employee pension obligations can be impaired in municipal bankruptcy cases under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code. Last week, however, Judge Klein approved
Continue Reading Despite Earlier Ruling, Stockton Judge Confirms Plan Leaving Pension Obligations Intact
Stockton
Stockton Judge: Pension Obligations Are Not Impervious to Impairment In Chapter 9 Bankruptcy. What Comes Next?
The perception that public employee pension obligations cannot be impaired in bankruptcy suffered a damaging blow several months ago in the City of Detroit bankruptcy case, and has now been fatally wounded by the recent ruling of Judge Christopher …
Continue Reading Stockton Judge: Pension Obligations Are Not Impervious to Impairment In Chapter 9 Bankruptcy. What Comes Next?
Stockton Bankruptcy Settlement Preserves Pensions
The Chapter 9 bankruptcy case of Stockton, California has come to an unexpectedly quick and consensual resolution. The outcome here, which will see the city’s pension obligations maintained, is particularly surprising given the vehement opposition of Stockton’s bond insurers …
Continue Reading Stockton Bankruptcy Settlement Preserves Pensions
Detroit Emergency Manager Posits Sale of Art Masterpieces as Bankruptcy Looms -Van Gogh(ing) Once, Twice, Sold?
Kevyn Orr, the emergency manager appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to try to resolve the Detroit financial crisis, has effectively replaced the Detroit mayor, former NBA legend Dave Bing. However, it is Orr who in the upcoming weeks…
Now It Gets Interesting – Stockton, CA Found Eligible to Remain in Chapter 9
Nearly nine months after it filed for protection under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code, a federal bankruptcy judge last week determined that the city of Stockton, California has satisfied the requirements of Section 109(c) of the Bankruptcy Code…
Continue Reading Now It Gets Interesting – Stockton, CA Found Eligible to Remain in Chapter 9
Steel Cage Match Between Calpers and Bond Investors Continues in San Bernardino Chapter 9 Case
The battle in California municipal bankruptcies between bond investors and Calpers, the California public employee pension system, began in the Stockton Chapter 9 bankruptcy case and continues unabated in the bankruptcy case of San Bernardino. The issues at stake…
Panic in Detroit? Motor City Moves Closer to Possible Chapter 9 Filing
Detroit has seen signs of revival in its urban core following the near-death experiences of GM and Chrysler. Unfortunately, its municipal finances remain beaten down by the city’s long and precipitous decline over the past several decades. Labor and legacy costs, incurred…
Continue Reading Panic in Detroit? Motor City Moves Closer to Possible Chapter 9 Filing
Game On in Stockton, CA Chapter 9 Case – Bond Insurer Sets Focus on Calpers
The Olympics may be over, but a potential clash of titans is gearing up in the Chapter 9 bankruptcy case of Stockton, California. Municipal bond insurer National Public Finance Guarantee Corporation (“National”) has challenged Stockton’s eligibility to be a debtor…
Continue Reading Game On in Stockton, CA Chapter 9 Case – Bond Insurer Sets Focus on Calpers
Stockton, California Chapter 9 Filing – Another Outlier, Or Harbinger?
Meredith Whitney, one of the first financial analysts to foresee the collapse of the housing market, famously predicted in December 2010 that a wave of municipal bond defaults was on the way. The wave, however, has yet to materialize, and…
Continue Reading Stockton, California Chapter 9 Filing – Another Outlier, Or Harbinger?