Banks Stuck With $42 Billion Debt Seize Chance to Offload It
- Nielsen, Unilever tea among debt deals on lenders’ books
- Banks want to get rid of hung debt before next financial year
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Banks in the US and Europe with around $42 billion of buyout debt stuck on their balance sheets are making the most of their last chance to get rid of it this year.
Stabilization in the leveraged loan and high yield bond markets has led to an opening for deals -- including for bonds and loans tied to the buyout of TV ratings business Nielsen Holdings Plc -- as banks try to reduce debt on their balance sheets before the holidays. Offloading the so-called hung debt, even at steep discounts, confines losses to this financial year while also appeasing risk departments and regulators.