
Sources said "said the company's board opted for court protection because it was unable to raise conventional bankruptcy loans, known as debtor-in-possession or DIP financing. Typically, banks are eager to make DIP loans because they charge high rates and rank as one of the best-secured loans, but during the deepening credit crunch few banks are willing to lend well-protected loans to distressed borrowers. Without a DIP loan, one source said, Nortel's board opted to file for protection while it still had a large cash reserve and before it was required to pay more than $100-million Thursday to certain bondholders."
M&A bankers who recently left their posts in droves to join restructuring advisories in hopes of catching the upswing of the next bubble, may be left in the cold as Chapter 7 (where monthly retainers are non-existent) becomes the new Chapter 11.