Successful Wind-Down and Exit Management

At this point the company's secured lender is unwilling to provide additional support, the company has been unable to attract alternative financing, and the equity sponsor will not continue to fund the company. The company's limited working capital often comes from stretching trade and other creditors to the breaking point. Word of the company's situation has spread to the point where vendors will supply product only on C.O.D. terms or demand a portion of old debt, further exacerbating the cash crunch. Payment of outstanding accounts receivable slows while customers investigate switching suppliers. Uninformed employees assume the worst, and many are paralyzed with fear of losing their jobs; those who can are fleeing. The ability to meet payroll is often in doubt.

In hiring a seasoned exit manager, much of the burden in administering to these concerns is lifted from counsel. Wind-down specialists handle the troubled company's day-to-day operational issues. This ensures the company does not make promises it cannot keep, and does not run afoul of bankruptcy rules, for example, freeing counsel to focus on their core competencies. Against this backdrop, wind-down specialists create and implement an exit strategy that maximizes recovery, while minimizing costs, future liabilities, and personal exposure.