Debt Men Tell No Lies: Largest LBOs Remain On Shaky Ground
Recent IPO filings by the likes of Freescale Semiconductor Inc. and HCA Inc. may lead some to conclude that mega-buyouts circa 2005-2007, once at grave risk from the recession, are finally in the clear. That may turn out to be the story. But an article published last week by three credit analysts at ratings agency Standard & Poor’s—Allyn Arden, William Wetreich and Kenneth G. Drucker—suggests many of the largest deals from the golden age of private equity remain at risk of defaulting on their debt obligations (see table, next page). Were the economy to stall, or worse, they could well go belly-up.
3 March 2011•3 mins read
