CIT Group Inc., the 101-year-old commercial lender that saw its funding dry up in the credit crunch, filed for bankruptcy in an effort to cut $10 billion in debt following a failed debt exchange and U.S. taxpayer bailout.
CIT listed $71 billion in assets and $64.9 billion in liabilities in a Chapter 11 petition yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. The Treasury Department said the government probably won’t recover much, if any, of the $2.3 billion in taxpayer money that went to CIT.
The lender, which funds about 1 million businesses such as Dunkin’ Brands Inc. and Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc., said it plans to exit court protection quickly due to support from bondholders, who voted for a “prepackaged” plan. None of CIT’s operating subsidiaries, including Utah-based CIT Bank, were included in the filing, and operations will proceed as normal, CIT said in a statement.
“Short term, it’s going to cause some difficulties for startups and smaller borrowers,” said Jean Everett, a partner at Hiscock & Barclay LLP focusing on financial institutions and lending. “CIT lent across so many sectors it’s sort of difficult to predict how it’ll affect each sector.”
The bankruptcy, the fifth-largest by assets, “will allow CIT to continue to provide funding to our small business and middle-market customers,” Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Peek said yesterday in a statement. CIT said it will attempt to emerge from court protection by the end of the year. Shareholders may be wiped out as common and preferred stock is likely to be canceled when the company ends its reorganization.
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