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The Parmalat case and the recent bankruptcy reform

Delve into the collapse and rescue of Parmalat, highlighting corporate governance issues, insolvency laws, and restructuring plans. Learn about the technical complexities faced post-bankruptcy and the lesson to be learned from this iconic case.

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The Parmalat case and the recent bankruptcy reform

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  1. The Parmalat case and the recent bankruptcy reform Lorenzo Stanghellini Facoltà di Giurisprudenza dell’Università di Firenze (*) Colloquium IEEI, Rome, 19 maggio 2006 (*) lorenzo.stanghellini@unifi.it

  2. Part 1 • The Collapse of Parmalat

  3. Parmalat’s position in 2003 • Leading Italian food group • Parent company listed • 51% owned by the Tanzi family • Truly international business • 32 countries, 36 operating companies, 132 locations • Fifth Italian bond issuer (€ 7.0 bn, a part of which publicly rated)

  4. 2003: the first cracks • Balance-sheet 2002: € 3.5 bn liquidity • February: a new bond issuance (300 ml) is turned down for lack of sufficient information • CFO resigns but remains on board • November: Supervising authorities ask clarifications about liquidity • Deloitte casts doubts over financial statements

  5. December 2003: The collapse • 9th: Enrico Bondi, a turnaround specialist, is hired by Tanzi and the board • 12th: Parmalat shares plunge; a € 150 ml bond is reimbursed • 15th: Tanzi resigns, Bondi takes on as Parmalat’s President • 19th: BOA denies Parmalat’s account with BOA holding substantial liquidity • 23rd: Italian Government enacts an emergency bankruptcy law for very large firms (>1,000 empl.) • On the same day, Parmalat files for bankr. protection; Bondi is appointed commissioner

  6. Parmalat’s collapse:Why? How? • Why the people did it? • At least for the “core” actors (Tanzi), it is not easy to tell • How could they do it? • Bad corporate governance • Ineffective external checks • Stock market • Auditors • Incremental lenders

  7. Part 2 • The Rescue of Parmalat

  8. A good candidate for rescue • 32,000 employees • More people and firms dependent on Parmalat’s continuing operations • Business in equilibrium (decision on rescue based on assets, not liab.) • Liquidation was simply not an option

  9. Italian insolvency law (before) • Allowed continuation of business under court supervision and protection from creditors • Allowed industrial restructuring and “super-priority” financing • Did not allow for financial restructuring • Only real option under existing law: sale of Parmalat as a going concern

  10. Italian insolvency law (after): d.l. 347/2003 and Law 39/2004 But: • Selling large businesses is difficult • Often yields fire-sale prices • Law amended to allow financial restructuring, including debt-equity swap (Law No. 39-2004) • Debt-equity swap proposed to creditors: Parmalat would be “sold” to its creditors

  11. Parmalat insolvency:The restructuring plan • The plan encompasses 16 companies of the Parmalat group • Combined assets valued € 1.5 bn (“enterprise value”) • Total liabilities € 25.5 bn (with duplications for intra-group guarantees and loans: net liab. around € 14 bn)

  12. Parmalat insolvency:The restructuring plan (2) Following a majority vote of the creditors (August-September 2005): • Creditors’ claims have been reduced • According to the asset/liability ratio of each of the 16 companies: some 100%, some almost zero • A Newco has been set up • Liabilities (reduced to € 1.5 bn to equal enterprise value) have been transferred to Newco together with assets, at no cost

  13. Parmalat insolvency:The restructuring plan (3) • Unsecured credits. of 16 comp. have received Newco’s shares in settlement of claims • Forced debt-equity swap (creditors will receive shares, plus 1 warrant per sh. up to the first 650) • Secured creditors (plus administr. expenses) have been fully paid in cash by Newco (€ 204 ml) • Newco has emerged with an almost all-equity financial structure • Newco has finally been listed (Oct. 2005) • New Parmalat’s corporate governance according to international best practices

  14. Parmalat insolvency:sheer technical complexity • Hundreds of companies in different jurisdictions • Hard test for EU Reg. 1346/2000 (Eurofood plc): ECJ decision on 2nd May 2006 • Coordination of non-EU procedures (Brazil, US) • No “consolidation” of the group • The intra-group distribution of assets and liabilities is taken as a “snapshot” • No subordination of large intra-group claims

  15. Parmalat insolvency:sheer technical complexity (2) • Liability suits against Parmalat in US • claimants bound by the plan? • Liability suits (and avoidance actions) by Parmalat against directors, auditors, and banks • Potentially, a big source of recovery

  16. Part 3 • Italian Law after Parmalat

  17. Parmalat: Any lessons to be learnt? • Availability of procedures that allow efficient financial restructuring is crucial • Distribution of value is difficult • Valuation of an insolvent firm is difficult • Multiple valuations are even more so • Keeping management of distressed firms is important ex-ante, but less so ex-post in large companies • “Rehabilitation”: What does it means?

  18. Parmalat: Any lessons to be learnt? (2) • Creditors’ committee necessary to achieve consensus • Unfavourable international press (see, e.g.,“Global Turnaround” March 2004) • A Newco necessary to get around the necessary shareholder’s vote • ECJ Pafitis v. Banca Trapeza (1993)

  19. Parmalat case: What it does NOT tell • Parmalat needed “pruning” and turnaround • Business was profitable (albeit much less than told) • Therefore: no “tragic choice” (creditors vs. employees/suppliers) has been necessary • Alitalia (more than 20.000 employees and significant operating losses) would be a much more problematic case…

  20. … however, Parmalat was an “easy” case: The business was profitable • Financial statements 2002-2003 revised by PWC (press release 26 January 2004):

  21. The new composition procedures: (a) The “Concordato preventivo” • Decree-Law 14 March 2005, n. 35: New “concordato preventivo” • Plan by the debtor to avoid the bankruptcy procedure (“Fallimento”) through a composition with the creditors • High degree of flexibility, classes of creditors • No constraints on financial restructuring proposals by the debtor • Debt for equity swap possible pursuant to a majority vote • New Art. 160 of bankruptcy is taken almost literally from Art. 4-bis l. 39/2004 (Parmalat law)

  22. The new composition procedures: (b) The “Concordato fallimentare” • D.lgs. 9 January 2006, n. 5: the new “concordato fallimentare” • Plan by the debtor, any creditor or third party, to close the bankruptcy procedure (“Fallimento”) • Same potential for restructuring of the new “concordato preventivo” • New concept of “concordato”

  23. The legacy of Parmalat • A “giant leap forward”. Now let us consolidate • Reform of general bankruptcy law by d.lgs. 9 January 2006, n. 5: an important work in progress • Generalize Parmalat: NO, thanks • Creditors have been kept out of the door • Called upon at the end for a vote on a plan “take it or leave it” • The success of Parmalat turnaround is due to the business and the people who worked on it. Now it’s enough…

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