• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
FinanceValeant

The Really Big Problem with Valeant’s Billions of Debt

By
Lauren Silva Laughlin
Lauren Silva Laughlin
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lauren Silva Laughlin
Lauren Silva Laughlin
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 22, 2016, 8:09 PM ET
Trading At The NYSE As  Valeant Shares Halted Ahead of News Announcement
Photograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ debt problem could be harder to solve than the company is letting on.

Other than looking for a new CEO—the company announced on Monday its top executive Michael Pearson was stepping down—the troubled pharmaceutical company’s most pressing problem is its debt, of which it has $30 billion. Valeant is late in filing its financial statements and it faces a potential default if it doesn’t file its annual report by the end of April. A default could result in Valeant having to pay back its loans immediately—something that would be very hard for it to do—or face much higher borrowing rates.

On Monday, Valeant said that wouldn’t happen. The company said it would meet its filing deadline. But last week, Valeant began negotiating with lenders to get an extension just in case.

Most investors think a deal is likely. Valeant appears to have more than enough cash to keep paying its debt, and has never missed a debt payment. So in theory there is no reason for creditors to call the loans. But in practice, striking a deal and putting off a default if it doesn’t file its financials on time might actually be pretty hard for Valeant.

The trouble for Valeant (VRX) is that it would have to get a lot of different investors to sign off on the deal. Valeant is the second largest issuer in the leveraged loan index. What’s more, Valeant’s loans are not owned by one bank or even a few large investors. Instead, a good portion of Valeant’s debt is held by collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs, essentially loan funds that buy and hold lower credit debt. More CLO funds hold Valeant loans than any other company that has issued debt since the financial crisis, according to S&P LCD. “You’d need almost every market participant” in the CLO market to agree to a deal, according to Kevin Kendra, managing director and head of Fitch’s U.S. Structured Credit group.

(For Fortune’s complete Valeant Converage read: A Timeline of Valeant’s Epic 90% Plunge)

To be exact, that’s 753 funds over 103 managers who own Valeant debt, according to research from Wells Fargo. Barclays is the “agent bank,” meaning it is the bank that is meant to organize the negotiations of the various lenders of the loan. More than 50% of them have to agree to allow Valeant to restructure, according to reports, so that means Valeant may have to get managers that represent as many as 377 funds to agree to whatever deal the company puts forward.

The plus for Valeant is it also means that the funds may have a harder time getting on the same page and negotiating tougher terms with the company in order to avoid a default. But the risk, of course, is that it makes it harder to strike any deal, and therefore a default, more possible.

It’s a far cry from the days–say 15 years ago–when less than a dozen banks held a corporate loan on their balance sheet, and companies could renegotiate the terms of their loan with a single creditor, or a small committee. Moreover, the CLO market has grown even since the last debt boom. Since the financial crisis, investors have bought up $275 billion in CLOs. Last year, investors purchased $124 billion, nearly a third more than the previous peak in 2006. And the potential problems mirror what happened with mortgage modifications during the financial crisis. Some investors threaten to sue banks and servicers if they allowed home loans to be modified if a distress borrower was still making some payments, or the investors thought they would make more money if the house was seized in a foreclosure.

The Valeant negotiations may not only be a test for Valeant, but the CLO market in general, which has recently hit a rough patch. Over the past year, the number of CLOs, which are also significant investors in energy companies, holding defaulted debt has skyrocketed. It was 35% as of the end of 2015, up from less than 5% a year ago, according to Fitch.

What’s more, Valeant’s outlook has changed quickly. For example, many of those investors bought Valeant’s debt only a year ago. Back then, the company was a “credit darling,” according to Kerry Kantin, Director in the Leveraged Commentary & Data at S&P Global Market Intelligence. In March last year, the company had a successful debt offering that raised $14.5 billion to help it fund the acquisition of Salix Pharmaceutical.

If Valeant’s debt continues to worsen, CLO managers may find themselves scrambling to sell the debt or pounding the table to get a Barclays banker on the phone. That could mean a whole new set of investors Valeant will have to cut a deal with. And Valeant isn’t alone. There are plenty of other companies that are and likely will have to deal with the same debt negotiation problems that Valeant is navigating now.

The more complex debt market has worked wonders in the past few years allowing somewhat riskier companies like Valeant amass more debt, at lower rates, than they would have been able to past. The question is how good that more complex market will function now that those same companies are running into trouble.

About the Author
By Lauren Silva Laughlin
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Finance

va
North AmericaWhite House
HUD suspends disaster funding to U.S. Virgin Islands housing authority, saying mismanagement has kept $1.3 billion from hurricane survivors
By Danica Coto and The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
52 minutes ago
kalshi
CryptoKalshi
Kalshi’s ‘chronically online’ war room figured out World Cup virality — and realized AI might be bringing back the monoculture
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 21, 2026
1 hour ago
fuel
North AmericaWhite House
Trump’s $3.47 ‘Freedom Fuel’ gas network leans on an NFL kicking coach, a GOP fundraiser and a N.J. entrepreneur with a fuel theft rap sheet
By Brian Slodysko, Michael Biesecker, Josh Boak and The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
k
Commentarypower
What I keep hearing from Fortune 500 CEOs: ‘We have no idea what we’re actually paying for power’
By Kiran BhatrajuJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Jersey Mike's Subs restaurant.
C-SuiteCFO Daily
Jersey Mike’s tests how far investors will stretch on restaurant IPO valuations
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks on July 21, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on July 21, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
20 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
Retail
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.