Now, the bankruptcy lawyers are positioned to be the big winners. Lehman has already paid its bankruptcy advisers $533.5 million since September 2008, topping the half-a-billion-dollar mark in just 14 months, the investment-banking firm has revealed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.
In mid-September 2008 - in one of its wildest and weirdest stretches ever - Wall Street entered a weekend awaiting a government bailout of Lehman Brothers and exited with Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. agreeing to sell itself to Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) for nearly $50 billion, Money Morning reported. Lehman stunned investors by announcing it would seek bankruptcy in a bid to avoid a total liquidation after it was unable to find a buyer.
By Nov. 18 of this year, creditors had filed claims totaling $824 billion - which is why Lehman is liquidating under protection of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. According to the Bloomberg report, Lehman's payments to advisers haven't faced major challenges like those facing bankrupt automaker Chrysler LLC, which is using loans from the U.S. Treasury Department to wind itself down.
According to bankruptcy filings, Lehman Brothers and its affiliates right now hold $16.3 billion in cash, up from $15.8 billion at the start of the December.
When it filed its bankruptcy case in September 2008, Lehman had assets of $639 billion, making it the largest such filing in U.S. history. Major creditors include UBS AG (NYSE: UBS), the New York Giants and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
News and Related Story Links:
- Bloomberg News:
Lehman Bankruptcy Advisers Get $533.5 Million
- Alvarez & Marsal LLC:
Official Web Site
- Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP:
Official Web Site
- Money Morning News Analysis:
With Buyout of Merrill, Bankruptcy for Lehman, Wall Street Plays "Let's Make a Deal."
Tags: Bank Bailout Series, Bankruptcy, Chrysler, Lehman Brothers, Recession, Weil Gotshal & Manges






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