BankThink

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Allergan Case Reveals Morgan Stanley M&A Switch-Up: As drug company Allergan defends itself against a $53 billion hostile takeover bid from Valeant Pharmaceuticals, it is shedding light on Morgan Stanley's mergers and acquisitions practices. Allergan, the Irvine, Calif. Maker of Botox, has published excerpts from emails written by senior Morgan Stanley investment bankers that it says show Valeant's business model is unsustainable, the New York Times reports. Morgan Stanley is now advising...

The city of Richmond, Calif., wants to team up with another municipality to implement its plan to use eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages. There have been no takers to date. The likely reasons are the FHFA and the continuing threat of litigation.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

Wall Street Journal

Lenders are making it rain for companies with junk ratings, according to the Journal. "Lending to weaker companies on easy terms is becoming more and more common as investors' appetite for higher-yielding debt grows stronger and the Federal Reserve keeps money flowing at ultralow rates," the paper reports. Banks are also forgoing loan requirements, such as periodic debt testing, which are meant to keep companies' financial health in check. What could go wrong? ...

The U.S. office property market has become a model of a disciplined, well-functioning real estate market since listed equity real estate investment trusts changed the calculus driving new construction.