New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - Armstrong Energy Inc.

Armstrong Energy Inc.

  • 11/1/17 Recap: What a week or so for coal. #MAGA! While oil and gas post-reorg equities have, despite some recent upward movement, had middling results, coal has fared well. Last week Peabody Energy Inc. ($BTU) reported solid numbers and saw its stock pop above $30/share and Arch Coal Inc. ($ARCH) has also enjoyed a nice run. It's up nearly 4% today. While Contura Energy (f/k/a Alpha Natural Resources Inc.) remains in limbo with a pulled-IPO, Armstrong Energy now joins the aforementioned companies as a bankruptcy filer, with the hopes of effectuating a restructuring support agreement-based debt-for-equity transaction that will effectively turn the keys over to a joint venture comprised of the holders of the company's first lien senior secured notes and Knight Hawk Holdings LLC. More to come once the filing is complete.
  • Jurisdiction: E.D. of Missouri (Judge Surratt-States)
  • Capital Structure: $200mm 11.75% '19 first lien senior secured notes (Wells Fargo Bank NA)
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Kirkland & Ellis LLP (James Sprayragen, Jonathan Henes, Ross Kwasteniet, William Guerrieri, Travis Bayer, Timothy Bow) & (local) Armstrong Teasdale LLP (Richard Engel Jr., Erin Edelman, John Willard)
    • Financial Advisor: MAEVA Group LLC (Harry J. Wilson)
    • Restructuring Advisor/CRO: FTI Consulting Inc. (Alan Boyko, Brian Martin, Christopher Marshall)
    • Financial Advisor: Houlihan Lokey Capital Inc.
    • Claims Agent: Donlin Recano & Co. Inc. (*click on company name above for free docket access)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • Indenture Trustee: Wells Fargo Bank NA
      • Legal: Loeb & Loeb LLP (Walter Curchack, Vadim Rubinstein) & (local) Spencer Fane LLP (Eric Peterson, Ryan Hardy)
    • Ad Hoc Group of Senior Secured Noteholders (BlueMountain Capital Management LLC, Caspian Capital LP, GoldenTree Asset Management LP, Marathon Asset Management LP, Panning Master Fund LP, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America)
      • Legal: Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP (Brian Hermann, Elizabeth McColm, Diane Meyers, Adam Denhoff, Daniel Youngblut) & (local) Carmody MacDonald PC (Christopher Lawhorn, Thomas Riske)
    • Large Creditors: Thoroughbred Holdings GP LLC, Thoroughbred Resources, L.P., Western Mineral Development, LLC, and Ceralvo Holdings, LLC
      • Legal: Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (Matthew Feldman, Debra McElligott) & (local) Husch Blackwell LLP (Marshall Turner)
    • Creditor: Kenergy Corp.
      • Legal: Jones Day (Scott Greenberg, Kyle Patrick Lane)
    • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
      • Legal: Morrison & Foerster LLP (Lorenzo Marinuzzi, Jennifer Marines, Daniel Harris, Rahman Connelly) & (local) Affinity Law Group LLC (J. Talbot Sant Jr.)

Updated 11/17/17