friscobob
January 16th, 2004, 11:05 PM
From the Reuters wire, this interesting bit of news on TMM and TFM. Will there be a merger or not? Stay tuned.......
KCS Regains Partial Control of Mexican Railroad
Author: TO News from Press Reports
Kansas City Southern appeared to regain partial control Tuesday of the
Mexican railroad it jointly owns with Grupo TMM of Mexico City.
Since the fall, majority owner Grupo TMM has operated the railroad
using
powers of attorney that ostensibly allowed the railroad to execute
multimillion-dollar transactions without KC Southern's approval.
The Delaware Court of Chancery ordered TMM to revoke those powers of
attorney and restore KC Southern's role in approving transactions
greater
than $2.5 million.
The court is overseeing a dispute between the companies that arose from
TMM's August decision not to sell the railroad to KC Southern after
signing
a sales agreement in April.
Warren Erdman, KC Southern vice president of corporate affairs, said
the
company hasn't determined whether TMM executed any big transactions
without
KC Southern's approval.
"We are inquiring," Erdman said. "We are not aware of any transactions
that
they might have engaged in using that power of attorney.
Mexico's TMM gets more support to restructure
January 12, 2004 4:04:00 PM ET
MEXICO CITY, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Mexican transport firm Grupo TMM said
on
Monday that more debt holders had agreed to a $377 million debt
restructuring, although the participation of more investors was needed
to
pull the deal off.
Grupo TMM said in a statement that holders of about 64 percent of $177
million of senior notes due 2003 and $200 million of senior notes due
2006
had agreed on the terms of a debt restructuring.
About a month ago, the company said only 43 percent of the note holders
were
willing to participate in the offer, where new senior secured notes
would be
exchanged for existing notes.
TMM's deal will only go through if 95 percent of the 2006 notes'
principal
and 98 percent of the 2003 notes' principal are tendered for exchange.
TMM is aiming to close the offer successfully by June 30, spokesman
Marco
Provencio told Reuters.
"We're going to continue to work hard over the next months to be able
to get
the necessary commitment," he said.
If TMM fails to get enough investors on board, the company's debts will
be
paid out according to Mexico's equivalent of a bankruptcy court,
Provencio
said.
The new notes, which will mature in three years, will consist of senior
obligations of TMM, backed by the company's wholly-owned subsidiaries
except
for Grupo TFM, its rail unit.
Analysts have said that the bond restructure at TMM could give the
company
some time to find a potential bidder for its TFM unit, in which it
holds 41
percent.
TMM is in the process of recovering a value-added tax (VAT) refund
valued at
nearly $950 million.
TMM's American Depositary Receipts (TMM) traded nearly 7 percent higher
on
Monday at $4.30, while its local shares remained untraded. REUTERS
© 2004 Reuters
KCS Regains Partial Control of Mexican Railroad
Author: TO News from Press Reports
Kansas City Southern appeared to regain partial control Tuesday of the
Mexican railroad it jointly owns with Grupo TMM of Mexico City.
Since the fall, majority owner Grupo TMM has operated the railroad
using
powers of attorney that ostensibly allowed the railroad to execute
multimillion-dollar transactions without KC Southern's approval.
The Delaware Court of Chancery ordered TMM to revoke those powers of
attorney and restore KC Southern's role in approving transactions
greater
than $2.5 million.
The court is overseeing a dispute between the companies that arose from
TMM's August decision not to sell the railroad to KC Southern after
signing
a sales agreement in April.
Warren Erdman, KC Southern vice president of corporate affairs, said
the
company hasn't determined whether TMM executed any big transactions
without
KC Southern's approval.
"We are inquiring," Erdman said. "We are not aware of any transactions
that
they might have engaged in using that power of attorney.
Mexico's TMM gets more support to restructure
January 12, 2004 4:04:00 PM ET
MEXICO CITY, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Mexican transport firm Grupo TMM said
on
Monday that more debt holders had agreed to a $377 million debt
restructuring, although the participation of more investors was needed
to
pull the deal off.
Grupo TMM said in a statement that holders of about 64 percent of $177
million of senior notes due 2003 and $200 million of senior notes due
2006
had agreed on the terms of a debt restructuring.
About a month ago, the company said only 43 percent of the note holders
were
willing to participate in the offer, where new senior secured notes
would be
exchanged for existing notes.
TMM's deal will only go through if 95 percent of the 2006 notes'
principal
and 98 percent of the 2003 notes' principal are tendered for exchange.
TMM is aiming to close the offer successfully by June 30, spokesman
Marco
Provencio told Reuters.
"We're going to continue to work hard over the next months to be able
to get
the necessary commitment," he said.
If TMM fails to get enough investors on board, the company's debts will
be
paid out according to Mexico's equivalent of a bankruptcy court,
Provencio
said.
The new notes, which will mature in three years, will consist of senior
obligations of TMM, backed by the company's wholly-owned subsidiaries
except
for Grupo TFM, its rail unit.
Analysts have said that the bond restructure at TMM could give the
company
some time to find a potential bidder for its TFM unit, in which it
holds 41
percent.
TMM is in the process of recovering a value-added tax (VAT) refund
valued at
nearly $950 million.
TMM's American Depositary Receipts (TMM) traded nearly 7 percent higher
on
Monday at $4.30, while its local shares remained untraded. REUTERS
© 2004 Reuters