There's just no one else Why are US mortgage Reits so popular, given that so many failed during the financial crisis? Because there are no banks
Building a department A new legal team in a new bank, launched in the middle of a financial crisis. It was a big challenge for Noor Bank's head of legal, Omar Rahman
Would you take the risk? Chances are New York's amended statute does not invalidate proxy votes. But if you were closing a large merger would you take that chance?
Similar objectives, subtle differences The treatment of secondary trading of transferred loans is different in England and New York in some surprising ways
How the Finco buy-back worked One way to get around a requirement for 100% approval from lenders for refinancing
Five big pitfalls in Asia Companies are often like a frog in a well: a narrow perspective of the FCPA means they lose sight of local law and hide behind local practices
Will anyone use it? Mezzanine lenders have won some key concessions in the revised LMA standard form intercreditor agreement. But they might never appear
The future of Hong Kong The top regulators give their views on how the law, and market products, will develop in Asia
Indonesian translation bonds; IPOs on the Hong Kong exchange; Davis Polk on two high-profile Asia deals
Vincom: First international convertible dissected A Vietnamese company has sold convertible bonds on the international market for the first time, thanks to government support, regulatory flexibility and a high level of disclosure
Royal Group: Boost for onshore deals in Cambodia A Cambodian company has successfully closed the country's largest-ever M&A deal. The deal was financed onshore by a group of international banks, showing the potential for foreign interest in south-east Asian deals that have the right structure
Charter: A group precedent for US bankruptcies A court decision in Charter Communications’ bankruptcy proceeding has set an important precedent as to what constitutes a group under section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act. This will make it easier for other companies to retain debt they can afford under their original terms
Nortel: Consortium bids can save distressed M&A The latest asset sale by Canadian telecoms company Nortel has proved that strong consortium bids are vital to the success of distressed M&A deals
KPMG case will turn on Lehman JV agreement As Thai police issue summonses to three KPMG partners responsible for liquidating Lehman Brothers, attention has turned to Lehman's joint venture agreement with the complainant, Destination Properties
ECB ratings change could cause deal flood The European Central Bank's (ECB) requirement of two qualified ratings on asset-backed securitisations (ABS) could force a rush of struggling institutions to originate new deals
Chinese regulator prompts more derivatives advice Banks could demand that their corporate counterparties in China seek more advice on trades, after a senior Chinese regulator criticised international banks for ''maliciously'' selling derivatives
More meritocratic financing in Middle East Granting financing to prominent borrowers based on family name or reputation has long been a common practice across the Middle East. But with liquidity stretched and the region's banks looking more carefully at their risk profile, name lending could be on the way out
The problem with HK's class actions proposals Banks and companies in Hong Kong could find themselves in a highly litigious environment if they fail to voice concerns over the Law Reform Commission's proposals on class actions
Europe wholesale market fears retail regulation EU regulation designed to streamline European investor protection documentation could encroach on the wholesale market and limit access to certain investor groups
Hong Kong, Singapore fight off Shanghai Counsel in Singapore are concerned that the rise of Shanghai could cause a decline in the number of Chinese companies listing on their exchange. But while other exchanges in the region are trying to attract foreign issuers, Singapore may have fewer options
Don't fret about Korean poison pills Korea announced a bill that would allow companies to use poison pills against hostile bidders, but observers believe that such a move is unnecessary as companies are already well protected
A welcome easing of Talf The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (NY Fed) is considering easing its stance on granting loans through the Term Asset-backed securities Loan Facility (Talf) for commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)
Fears on fraudulent Chinese offering documents Counsel in Hong Kong and China are concerned that the quality of disclosure on some Chinese company offering documents is being sacrificed in a bid to catch the latest stock market rally
Nakheel: get your money back The position of creditors depends on the bonds they hold, and how local law plays out with hedge funds involved
Legislation, quick It's looking good for legislation to provide certainty for US covered bonds. But European banks are also pushing to issue dollar-denomiated versions. The race is on
CoCo bonds could be one-off Lloyds's exchange offer was popular with both investors and regulators. But any future deals will have to deal with several areas of legal uncertainty
New pools, but new rules As Asia's first exchange-backed dark pool launches, the US and Europe are proposing rules to crack down on them
Case studies in realising value Recent company rescues in the UK and US hold a lot of lessons for lawyers advising on similar deals
Hybrids down and banks not up Rating agencies are downgrading hybrids due to the removal of systemic and regional support from their process. And although banks are recovering, upgrades are unlikely
A culture, not a programme The compliance leader, Asean of GE Capital gives his thoughts on creating effective internal compliance
Welcome, but poorly drafted Hong Kong could finally have a rescue regime next year. But employee issues must be dealt with first
