One day after officially filing a petition for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, executives of Kimball Hill Homes received court approval for all of the company’s first day motions. Taken together, the approvals allow the company to continue normal operations.
On Thursday April 24, the Honorable Susan Sonderby granted permission to continue customer programs and warranties, pay employee wages and benefits, establish procedures to pay valid lien claims in the ordinary course of business, and to sell homes free and clear of all liens.
In addition, the company was authorized to immediately use $35 million of cash to support normal operations. In an earlier statement, the company disclosed that it had $60 million in cash on hand.
“Having received approval of our first-day motions so quickly sets Kimball Hill Homes on a very strong footing as we move towards restructuring,” said Ken Love, president and CEO.
In the meantime, Kimball Hill is actively seeking investors interested in buying an equity stake in the company, including private-equity firms, hedge funds, and real estate funds, according to CFO Edward Madell in a court document. About 26 parties “continue to actively evaluate the prospect” of an investment in Kimball Hill, the document says.
In the original petition, Kimball Hill listed assets of $796 million and debts of $632 million. The company’s joint venture activities and financial services business were not included as part of the filing.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Bloomington, IL.
