Morrison Knudsen Corp. said it reached an agreement in principle with creditors to swap all of its $386.3 million in debt for new stock, a move that all but assures a bankruptcy filing.
The plan is expected to gain creditor approval in mid-June or July, Morrison Knudsen said. Under the agreement, current shareholders would get warrants to buy a portion of the new stock at a specified price.Morrison Knudsen's current stock would be worthless, making it unlikely the plan will gain the approval of 50.1 percent of shareholders needed for implementation.
To get around the problem, Morrison Knudsen is negotiating with creditors for approval of a pre-packaged bankruptcy plan, said Robert Tinstman, Morrison Knudsen's chief executive and president. Once in bankruptcy, the company would no longer need shareholder approval for the plan, Tinstman said.
"Shareholders are obviously disadvantaged, but this is the only process that will give them any recovery at all," Tinstman said. "The only alternative is liquidation, and then they would have nothing."
Pre-packaged bankruptcies are generally done to avoid lengthy court hearings.
Shares of Morrison Knudsen closed Monday unchanged at 13/8.