General Growth Properties, Inc. (NYSE:GGP) (the “Company”) announced
today the administrative agent under the Company’s 2006 Senior Credit
Agreement received consents from the requisite lenders thereunder to
waive certain identified events of default under the 2006 Senior Credit
Agreement and to forbear from exercising certain of the lenders’ default
related rights and remedies with respect to such identified events of
default until December 31, 2009 (unless terminated earlier in accordance
with the terms of such forbearance agreement), subject to certain
conditions, including final documentation.
The Company also announced today its subsidiary, The Rouse Company LP
(“TRCLP”), has extended the expiration date for its previously announced
consent solicitation to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 20,
2009. In the solicitation, TRCLP is seeking consents from the holders of
TRCLP’s unsecured notes (five series with an aggregate outstanding
principal amount of approximately $2.25 billion at December 31, 2008)
(the “TRCLP Notes”) to forbear from exercising remedies with respect to
various payment and other defaults under the TRCLP Notes through
December 31, 2009.
The Company also noted that it has been informed by the representatives
of an ad hoc committee of holders of TRCLP Notes, the members of which
hold in the aggregate approximately 41% of TRCLP Notes, that all of the
members of the ad hoc committee have committed to consent to the
forbearance.
As of 5:00 p.m. on March 16, 2009, consents had been validly delivered
(and not validly revoked) with respect to the following amounts of TRCLP
Notes:
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3.625% Notes due 2009:
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$
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163,897,000 (41.5%)
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8% Notes due 2009:
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$
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117,591,000 (58.8%)
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|
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7.20% Notes due 2012:
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$
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329,869,000 (82.5%)
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|
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5.375% Notes due 2013:
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$
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310,419,000 (69.0%)
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6 3/4% Notes due 2013:
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$
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593,272,000 (75.4%)
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The minimum acceptance levels for each series of the TRCLP Notes are:
90% of the 3.625% Notes due 2009 and the 8% Notes due 2009; 75% of the
7.20% Notes due 2012, the 5.375% Notes due 2013 and the 6 3/4% Notes due
2013. Holders of TRCLP Notes who have previously validly delivered
consents will continue to have the right to revoke their consents
through the extended expiration date.
Effectiveness of the forbearance under the 2006 Senior Credit Agreement
will be conditioned on and subject to, among other things, the
successful completion of the consent solicitation and effectiveness of
the forbearance agreement relating to the TRCLP Notes.
“We are pleased that we have been able to obtain consents from the
requisite lenders under our 2006 Senior Credit Agreement and with the
positive reaction to the TRCLP bond consent solicitation,” said Adam
Metz, chief executive officer. “Given this support, we feel it is
appropriate to extend the expiration date for the consent solicitation
in order to give bondholders more time to receive and review the consent
solicitation materials and to consider this request.”
GGP INFORMATION
General Growth is a U.S. based, publicly traded Real Estate Investment
Trust. The Company currently has an ownership interest in, or management
responsibility for, more than 200 regional shopping malls in 44 states,
as well as ownership in master planned community developments and
commercial office buildings. The Company portfolio totals approximately
200 million square feet of retail space and includes over 24,000 retail
stores nationwide. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol GGP.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results
may differ materially from the results suggested by these
forward-looking statements, for a number of reasons, including, but not
limited to, a potential bankruptcy filing, our ability to refinance,
extend or repay our near and intermediate term debt, our substantial
level of indebtedness and interest rates, retail and credit market
conditions, impairments, land sales in the Master Planned Communities
segment, the cost and success of development and re-development projects
and our ability to successfully manage our strategic and financial
review and our liquidity demands. Readers are referred to the documents
filed by General Growth Properties, Inc. with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, which further identify the important risk factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements in this release. The Company disclaims any
obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
This press release is not an offer of securities for sale or an offer to
purchase securities or a solicitation of consents. The consent
solicitation is being made by means of a Consent Solicitation Statement
that may be obtained by contacting Financial Balloting Group LLC, which
is acting as the Information Agent for the Consent Solicitation, at
(646) 282-1800.
General Growth Properties, Inc.
David Keating
TEL
(312) 960-6325