American Apparel has been in the middle of a turnaround effort that includes store closings and some layoffs. The company also faces several lawsuits from ousted CEO Dov Charney. Now they face the bankruptcy court. Questions: 1. What were the allegations against previous CEO Charney and what types of financial strains has this put on… Read more »
Posts Tagged: debt
Morbid Thought, but Necessary Resolution
When a young person dies unexpectedly, his or her family could end up with the burden of paying off student loans. How can that be avoided? Questions: 1. According to the article, which loans are forgiven after a student’s death and which ones are not? What is a rough estimate of the total amount of… Read more »
More Woes in Greece
Greece will close its banks on Monday to try to avert financial collapse. The anticipated closure is expected to last about a week. This temporary decision was made along with keeping the stock market closed on Monday after the European Central Bank said it would not expand an emergency loan program to prop up Greek… Read more »
A Big Bet!
Pfizer is making a $15.2 billion bet on the drug industry’s new, more elite class of generics, which are costly, complex copies of already expensive biotech drugs. Questions: 1. What are biosimilars? 2. Why are there questions about the durability of the market for these specialty drugs? 3. What is the dollar estimate of the… Read more »
Watch Out! They Know Where You Live!
Eric Merklein, 67, didn’t know he had outstanding student debt until he received his first Social Security check. He thought that his grandmother had paid it off. Unfortunately, Merklein is among the more than 2 million Americans age 60 and older carrying student debt, which is up from about 700,000 in 2005. Questions: 1. What… Read more »
Chapter 11 for Quiznos
Quiznos, the Denver-based sandwich chain, is preparing to file for bankruptcy in the next few weeks, due to debt and declining sales. Questions: 1. This is not the first time that Quiznos has negotiated with creditors. Explain its out-of-court restructuring deal that occurred two years ago. 2. Assuming that the past debt load was similar… Read more »
Numbers tell the story
Unless you have been vacationing on another planet, you have probably heard about the government shutdown this week. This video by the New York Times provides some quantification of the situation. Questions: 1. Which number in the video surprised you the most? 2. Explain why not reaching an agreement by Oct 17 on the debt… Read more »
Pension Advances to be Scrutinized by Congress and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This New York Times article discusses the allure of borrowing against pensions, which underscores an abrupt reversal in the financial fortunes of many retirees in recent years. The offers, known as pension advances, are having devastating financial consequences for a growing number of older Americans, both threatening their retirement savings and exacerbating mounting debt within… Read more »
The Disappearing Debt Suddenly Reappears!
Jackie Esposito, of Guilford, Conn., got a letter that said her debt with JPMorgan Chase was canceling the amount she owed on a home equity account. While most people would be excited to get such a letter, Ms. Esposito was not. That is because Ms. Esposito had the debt legally wiped out three years ago… Read more »
Debt for Life?
Here are the facts. Four-year college graduates’ pay advantage over high school grads has doubled over the past 30 years. However, in 2010, student debt exceeded credit-card debt for the first time and in 2011, it surpassed auto loans. In March 2012, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that student debt had passed $1 trillion… Read more »