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SAS filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection last year as it struggled to slash costs and debt amid strikes by pilots. SAS hopes to raise 9.5 billion Swedish crowns ($863 million) in new equity and convert 20 billion crowns of debt into equity. They could include Sweden's family-owned Wallenberg foundation, which currently holds a 3.4% stake in SAS, or Danish pension funds, he said. Once that is done, SAS can begin proceedings to exit chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which could be late this year or next year, Pedersen said. It is not clear if SAS will be taken off the Swedish stock market after exiting bankruptcy protection.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, Apollo, Jacob Pedersen, Gerald Engstrom, Pedersen, Johannes Birkebaek, Jacob Gronholt, Mark Potter Organizations: SAS Airbus, Kastrup, Scandinavian Airlines, TT News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Scandinavia's, SAS, U.S, Italy's ITA Airways, Portugal's TAP, WHO, Apollo Global Management Inc, European Union, Wallenberg, Private, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, Thomson Locations: Kastrup, Denmark, Rights COPENHAGEN, Danish, Copenhagen, EU, Europe, SWEDEN, NORWAY, Swedish, Sweden, Private Swedish

☆ Airline SAS assesses final bids for its bail-out from bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST) said on Tuesday it was evaluating final bids in an equity fundraising that closed a day earlier, and which is part of an ongoing bankruptcy protection process. The Sweden-listed company, which has been under U.S. "chapter 11" bankruptcy protection since July 2022, has since June extended the deadline for final bids twice, at the request of bidders. "SAS will announce the winning bidder or bidders as soon as the evaluation process has been completed," it said in a statement. The long-struggling carrier reported earlier a net loss of 4.41 billion Swedish crowns ($398 million) for the November through August period. SAS originally aimed to complete its restructuring by July, but the target has slipped to the end of the year.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, Anna Ringstrom, Essi Lehto Organizations: SAS Airbus, Kastrup, Scandinavian Airlines, TT News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Scandinavian, SAS, Sweden, Reuters, Apollo Global Management Inc, Thomson Locations: Kastrup, Denmark, Rights STOCKHOLM, Sweden

☆ Airline SAS extends deadline for equity fundraising
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 11 (Reuters) - Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST), battling to emerge from bankruptcy protection, said on Monday it was extending the deadline for final bids for its equity fundraising by a week to Sept. 25 at the request of bidders. SAS said in May the U.S. court had approved a revised plan to raise equity. Denmark has said it is willing to increase its stake in SAS to around 30% from around 22%, if others investors were to take a majority stake. Reuters reported in May that U.S. asset manager Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N) planned to apply for approval from Swedish and Danish regulators to take a majority stake in SAS as part its rescue plan. Earlier this month, SAS, which has been under bankruptcy protection since July 2022, posted its first quarterly pretax profit since late 2019.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, Jacob Pedersen, Pedersen, Urvi Dugar, Gokul, David Evans, Mark Potter, Susan Fenton Organizations: SAS Airbus, Kastrup, Scandinavian Airlines, TT News Agency, REUTERS, Scandinavian, SAS, Reuters, Apollo Global Management Inc, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: Kastrup, Denmark, Sweden, Bengaluru, Stockholm

[1/2] Hostess Brands "Twinkies" are displayed in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 5, 2016. Smucker (SJM.N) on Monday agreed to buy Twinkies maker Hostess Brands (TWNK.O) for $5.6 billion including debt in a deal that unites two major American snack makers. The deal was worth about $4.6 billion excluding debt, with Jif peanut butter maker Smucker paying Hostess shareholders $34.25 per share. Campbell Soup's (CPB.N) recent acquisition of Rao's sauce maker Sovos Brands (SOVO.O) represented an adjusted EBITDA multiple of 14.6 times, including run rate savings, and 19.8 times excluding those. Based in Lenexa, Kansas, Hostess was founded in 1930 and is behind several iconic household brands, including Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, Zingers, and Voortman cookies and wafers.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Smucker, Campbell Soup's, Smucker's, Campbell, Hostess, Ding Dongs, Dean Metropoulos, Alec Gores, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anirban Sen, Abigail Summerville, Dimpal, Savio D'Souza, Shinjini Ganguli, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Hostess Brands, Reuters, Sovos, JPMorgan, Sovos Brands, Hos, Smucker, Apollo Global Management Inc, Hostess, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, North America, Lenexa , Kansas, Ho, Bengaluru, New York

FILE PHOTO-Hostess Brands "Twinkies" are displayed in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 5, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidFile Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Hostess Brands Inc (TWNK.O), the maker of Twinkies snack cakes, is exploring a sale after fielding takeover interest from major snack food makers, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. General Mills Inc (GIS.N), Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ.O), PepsiCo Inc (PEP.O) and Hershey Co (HSY.N) are among the companies that have shown an interest in acquiring Hostess, the sources said. Hostess has hired investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS.N) for advice on handling the deal negotiations, the sources said. No agreement is certain and Hostess may decide against any deal, the sources added.

Persons: Brendan McDermidFile, Hostess, General Mills, Morgan Stanley, Mills, Ding Dongs, Dean Metropoulos, Alec Gores, Gross, Anirban Sen, Abigail Summerville, Chris Reese, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Hostess Brands Inc, Nasdaq, General, General Mills Inc, Mondelez, PepsiCo Inc, Hershey Co, Hostess, Hershey, PepsiCo, Hos, Apollo Global Management Inc, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Mondelez, New York, Lenexa , Kansas, Ho

☆ Apollo leads deal for trucking firm Yellow's bankruptcy loan - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - Creditors led by Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N) are nearing a deal to provide Yellow Corp (YELL.O) with fresh cash during a coming bankruptcy, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Yellow declined to comment, while Apollo did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Yellow, formerly called YRC Worldwide, is the third-biggest U.S. trucking company. Yellow has $1.3 billion in debt payments due in 2024, including a $567.4 million term loan due in June and a $729.4 million U.S. Treasury loan due in September. Reporting by Priyamvada C in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Yellow, Priyamvada, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Apollo Global Management Inc, Yellow Corp, Bloomberg News, U.S, YRC, Teamsters, USF, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, Bengaluru

July 21 (Reuters) - Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N) co-founder Leon Black paid $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to avoid any legal claims tied to a Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, the New York Times reported on Friday. The Times obtained a copy of the settlement agreement from the Virgin Islands government through a public records request. A spokesperson for Black confirmed in an emailed statement to Reuters that Black had settled with the Virgin Islands, noting that there was no suggestion in the settlement "that Mr. Black was aware of or participated in any misconduct." The spokesperson went on to say that, as previously known, Black had paid Epstein for "legitimate financial advisory services" and that Black had "resolved the (Virgin Island's) potential claims arising out of the unintended consequences of those payments." A New York state judge in May dismissed a lawsuit accusing Black, 71, of defaming a woman by falsely claiming she tried to extort him after accusing him of rape, which he denied.

Persons: Leon Black, Jeffrey Epstein, Black, Epstein, Epstein's, Cheri Pierson, Brad Brooks, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Apollo Global Management Inc, U.S . Virgin, New York Times, Times, Virgin, JPMorgan Chase, Forbes, Thomson Locations: U.S, Virgin, Islands, York, defaming, Epstein's, Manhattan, Lubbock , Texas

☆ Exclusive: Bonderman's Wildcat seeks to thwart $2.9 billion Consolidated Communications deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Anirban Sen | Thomson Reuters | Anirban Sen Is The Editor In Charge For U.S. M A At Reuters In New York | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Wildcat said it owned 3 million Consolidated Communications shares, equivalent to about a 2.6% stake. The offer was made on April 12 by a consortium led by private equity firm Searchlight Capital, which owns 34% of Consolidated Communications. Consolidated Communications formed a special committee to consider the offer later that month but has not provided an update since. TD Cowen analysts wrote in an April 13 note that they expected Consolidated Communications to accept the deal given its capital needs and operational challenges. But Wildcat argues that any deal should not be for less than $14 per share because the value of Consolidated Communications' investment in its business has yet to be realized.

Persons: David Bonderman, Wildcat, TD Cowen, Tom McConnon, McConnon, Anirban Sen, Greg Roumeliotis, Edwina Gibbs, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: YORK, Wildcat Capital Management LLC, TPG, Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc, Consolidated Communications, Reuters, Searchlight Capital, Consolidated Communications . Consolidated Communications, Apollo Global Management, Lumen Technologies, Sorrento Therapeutics Inc, Thomson Locations: New York, , Illinois, Sorrento

Like its peers, private equity firm Apollo was hit by a slump in dealmaking in the quarter that made it challenging to cash out of its private equity holdings for top dollar. Its asset management and retirement businesses, however, helped it cushion the blow. Apollo said its adjusted net income fell to $845 million from $917 million a year earlier. That resulted in adjusted net income per share of $1.42, lower than the average analyst forecast of $1.47, according to Refinitiv data. By contrast, private equity funds of Blackstone, Carlyle and KKR appreciated by 2.8%, 1%, and 2%, respectively.

☆ Apollo to take aerospace supplier Arconic private in $5.2 billion deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Pratyush Thakur | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Arconic Corp (ARNC.N) has agreed to be bought by Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N) in a take-private deal valued at about $5.2 billion, the U.S. aerospace supplier said on Thursday. Apollo will pay $30 for each Arconic share held, representing a premium of 35.6% as of close on Feb. 27, a day before reports of deal talks emerged. The company, which supplies to Boeing Co (BA.N), had rebuffed an almost $10 billion offer from Apollo in 2018. Two years later, the company split into two publicly traded firms, Arconic Corp and Howmet Aerospace Inc (HWM.N). Arconic retained rolled products, aluminum extrusions, and building and construction systems business, while the engine products, fastening systems and forged wheels businesses were spun off to Howmet.

SAS has lost almost 60% of its value since it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last July, seeking to slash costs and debt after wage talks with pilots collapsed. Apollo will mainly work with aviation regulators in Sweden and Denmark to secure approval, the first source said. The move comes as the airline looks for large investors and seeks to raise equity as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. Denmark's finance ministry told Reuters it was looking for one or more shareholders to take a majority stake in SAS. The company also became the largest shareholder in Mexican airline Aeromexico (GRPAF.PK) in 2020 following Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

☆ Apollo assures investors deposit flight won't spill over to Athene
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Chibuike Oguh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Reuters GraphicsIn a quarterly update to shareholders published on March 13, Apollo outlined how Athene's funding model is different than a bank's. In the wake of the banking crisis, however, Apollo has been fielding questions from analysts and investors about Athene's funding model. Following a meeting with Apollo executives, Hone wrote in a note last week that he does not anticipate a spike in withdrawals from Athene's annuity holders and that Athene's funding base was stable. Apollo said in its March 13 presentation to investors that it had seen inflows of $8.8 billion to Athene from the start of the year to March 10. Questions from investors and analysts to Apollo have focused on this subset of annuity policies that have a potentially higher flight risk.

The remainder was equity checks by the private equity firms. Typically, debt accounts for between 60% and 80% of the deal consideration, allowing the buyout firms to juice returns. REFINANCING RISKTo be sure, a handful of private equity firms have already been accustomed to this kind of refinancing risk. An upside to the shift toward equity financing, dealmakers say, is that the companies owned by the private equity firms have more cushion to absorb losses if their business deteriorates. Many of the leveraged buyouts that became bankruptcies in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis were the result of private equity firms saddling companies with debt to the hilt.

☆ Cautious calm returns to bank stocks as focus shifts to regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Focus is also shifting to the possibility of tighter regulation in the U.S. banking sector, particularly for mid-tier banks like SVB (SIVB.O) and New York-based Signature Bank, whose collapses last week roiled financial markets. Investors had been particularly concerned about the huge bond holdings, particularly in U.S. Treasuries, of Japanese lenders. However, Japanese finance minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Wednesday differences in the structure of bank deposits, meant local banks wouldn't face incidents similar to SVB's collapse. In an attempt to avert a similar crisis down the line, the Federal Reserve is also considering tougher rules and oversight for midsize banks similar in size to SVB. "A year after starting to raise interest rates, the Federal Reserve is still chasing evidence that higher borrowing costs are slowing the U.S.

☆ Investors tiptoe back into US bank stocks, regulators probe SVB collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Chris Prentice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

March 14 (Reuters) - Bruised U.S. bank stocks regained some ground on Tuesday, as a sell-off sparked by Silicon Valley Bank's collapse gave way to bargain-hunting by investors hopeful that efforts to shore up confidence would avert a wider financial crisis. The S&P 500 regional banks index (.SPLRCBNKS) rebounded 1.4%, leaving it with a 26% loss over the past five sessions. Investors worry about the health of smaller banks, the prospect of tighter regulation and authorities' preference for protecting depositors before shareholders. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsINVESTIGATIONSAs markets adjusted to the impact of SVB's collapse, regulars turned their focus to the circumstances around the bank's collapse. Officials are also examining stock sales by officers of SVB Financial Group, which owned the bank, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

☆ Silicon Valley Bank collapse: What you need to know now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 14 (Reuters) - U.S. bank stocks jumped on Tuesday, recovering some ground after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) and Signature Bank (SBNY.O) triggered heavy selling by investors who were already anxious about the impact on lenders of rising interest rates. Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to recuse himself from an internal review of recent bank failures, saying his actions "directly contributed" to them. * Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germans should not have major concerns and that regulators had learned lessons from the global financial crisis in 2008. MARKETS* U.S. regional bank shares bounced, with First Republic Bank (FRC.N) up 42.3% at $44.40 a share, a day after touching a record low of $17.53. * Global shares turned higher, ending a five-session rout, as U.S. inflation data bolstered bets on a smaller interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve next week.

Worries about potential contagion had also slammed bank shares in Asia and Europe as investors re-examined their risks, despite assurances from U.S. President Joe Biden and other global policymakers that the financial system is safe. In Europe, where some see lenders as less vulnerable, the banking index (.SX7P) first fell then recovered to rise 2.7%. Asian banking stocks had extended their declines overnight, with Japanese banks hard-hit despite reassurances from the Bank of Japan said about their capital buffers. Regulator FDIC had moved swiftly to close New York's Signature Bank SBNY.O as well as taking control of SVB. Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said the investigators are also examining stock sales that SVB Financial Group's executives made days before SVB failed, adding that the Justice Department's probe involves the department's fraud prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco.

☆ Apollo Global to Buy Univar in $8.1 Billion Deal, Including Debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Laura Cooper | Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Apollo Global Management Inc. has agreed to acquire chemical company Univar Solutions Inc. for $8.1 billion including debt, according to people familiar with the matter, in one of the biggest recent leveraged buyouts. The deal is expected to value Univar at $36.15 a share and to be unveiled Tuesday, the people said. Shares of Univar closed at $31.17 on Monday.

☆ Apollo, Blackstone eye SVB assets - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Customers wait outside as an employee enters the Silicon Valley Bank branch office in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kori Suzuki/File PhotoMarch 14 (Reuters) - Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N) and Blackstone Inc (BX.N) have expressed interest in a book of loans held by Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a subsidiary of the defunct SVB Financial Services Group (SIVB.O), Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. Last week, Californian regulators shut down tech lender SVB after a failed share sale that saw $42 billion of deposit outflows in a day and escalated worries of a contagion across financial markets. Apollo, Blackstone, and SVB did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh VenkateshwaranOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Apollo Global to Buy Univar in $8.1 Billion Deal Including Debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Laura Cooper | Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Apollo Global agreed to buy Univar Solutions, a global specialty chemical and ingredients business. Apollo Global Management Inc. has agreed to acquire chemical company Univar Solutions Inc. for $8.1 billion including debt, in one of the biggest recent leveraged buyouts. Shares of Univar were up more than 10% in premarket trading on the news, which The Wall Street Journal first reported early Tuesday.

☆ Private equity giants including Apollo, Blackstone eye SVB loan book- reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Customers wait outside as an employee enters the Silicon Valley Bank branch office in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kori Suzuki/File PhotoMarch 14 (Reuters) - Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N), Blackstone Inc (BX.N) and KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N) have expressed interest in a book of loans held by Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Buyout giants Ares Management (ARES.N) and Carlyle Group (CG.O) are also looking to buy the loan book, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The surge in interest in the book follows the tech lender's failure last week to raise equity to plug a $1.8 billion hole after selling its $21 billion portfolio of securities at a loss. On Monday, SVB said it was planning to explore strategic alternatives for its businesses, including holding company SVB Capital and SVB Securities.

☆ Venture capitalists weigh 'long-shot plan' to preserve parts of SVB -FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Venture capital firms are working on a "long-shot plan" to preserve parts of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in a move to keep servicing their clients in the technology sector, the Financial Times reported on Monday citing people briefed on the effort. A group of several VC firms are in talks since late last week about how to enable SVB to continue lending to, investing in and advising companies and executives in the sector, the FT reported, adding General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Venture are among the firms involved in talks. Forming a consortium with Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N) that could bid for portions of SVB is one of the proposals being discussed, the newspaper quoted people as saying. Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Falling Survey-Response Rates Undermine Economic Data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Josh Zumbrun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A jobs fair in Sunrise, Fla., last month. In recent months, markets have been laser-focused on every scrap of economic data for evidence on whether inflation is coming down or a recession is approaching. Unfortunately, that data suffers from a growing problem: reduced responses from the people whose activity it seeks to measure. “There’s more data than there has ever been in the history of the world,” said Torsten Slok , the chief economist of Apollo Global Management Inc. “But the Fed has a dual mandate that’s called inflation and employment. That’s why financial markets spend the vast majority of their time on those two items.”

☆ Thomas Lee, Private-Equity Pioneer, Struggled to Reprise Early Successes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Miriam Gottfried | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Thomas Lee at his New York office in 2019. Thomas H. Lee, who helped create the private-equity industry in the 1970s, struggled to capitalize on its explosive growth over the past two decades. The investor, who last month was found dead in his office from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, came of age in the era of such buyout legends as KKR & Co.’s Henry Kravis and George Roberts , Blackstone Inc.’s Stephen Schwarzman and Apollo Global Management Inc.’s Leon Black .

☆ Private equity firms lend less as demand cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Chibuike Oguh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The amount of loans disbursed by direct lenders so far in 2023 has not shown any pickup, the Refinitiv data shows. Also weighing on deal volumes is the cost of borrowing from private equity firms. This has dampened demand for loans from private equity firms. For their part, private equity firms have also become more risk-averse when it comes to lending, as the economic slowdown and sticky price inflation erode the credit worthiness of some borrowers. To be sure, major deals using private equity firms as lenders are still getting done as banks have continued their retrenchment from risky debt.

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