Prime Clerk Gets Private Equity Investment, JG Wentworth Work
Private equity giant The Carlyle Group LP has invested an undisclosed sum in New York-based Prime Clerk, a bankruptcy claims administrator started by former Weil, Gotshal & Manges partner Shai Waisman.
December 12, 2017 at 08:10 PM
4 minute read
A bankruptcy claims administrator started by a former partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges has secured an investment from buyout giant The Carlyle Group LP.
Carlyle announced Tuesday that it had made a strategic investment in Prime Clerk LLC, the same day that the New York-based bankruptcy claims and noticing agent picked up work for the Chapter 11 case of specialty finance company J.G. Wentworth LLC.
Shai Waisman, a former restructuring partner at Weil who left the firm in 2011 for the business world, serves as CEO and chairman of the board at Prime Clerk. Waisman started Prime Clerk in 2013. In recent months, the company has grabbed lead roles for bankrupt clients like Toys R Us Inc., Takata Holdings Inc., Avaya Inc. and the in-court restructuring of Puerto Rico.
Angelo Bonvino, co-head of the M&A practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York, is working with associate Michael Anastasio in advising Prime Clerk on its deal with Carlyle. Terms of the deal were not disclosed and neither Bonvino nor Waisman were immediately available to discuss the transaction.
Waisman, who while at Weil made partner at 32, said in statement that the investment from Carlyle will help Prime Clerk expand its operations.
“Together with Carlyle and our existing management team we will continue our growth trajectory, offering new and innovative services in adjacent business lines, and expanding globally,” he said. “Having Carlyle by our side is a validation of our business model, professionalism and commitment to excellence.”
Prime Clerk has a robust caseload, and on Tuesday the company added another entry to its growing docket in the bankruptcy of J.G. Wentworth, a Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania-based financial services company that buys annuities, life insurance policies and other personal assets.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, which last month bolstered its bankruptcy group, and Delaware's Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor are advising J.G. Wentworth in its Chapter 11 case in Wilmington, Delaware. Davis Polk & Wardwell is advising the administrative agent for J.G. Wentworth's $449.5 million senior secured credit facility, a structure that will see lenders holding 87 percent of that debt take control of the business.
According to a list of J.G. Wentworth's 20 largest unsecured creditors, the company owes $9,305.40 to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and $2,659.24 to Holland & Knight. The company itself previously filed for bankruptcy in 2009 as the structured settlement industry roiled in the aftermath of the abrupt economic downturn. J.G. Wentworth emerged from bankruptcy later that year—Cole Schotz advised the debtor during its initial bankruptcy case—and subsequently merged with Peachtree Financial Solutions in 2011.
JGWPT Holdings Inc., the parent company of J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree, raised $136.5 million through an initial public offering in November 2013. Securities filings show that the listing generated nearly $2.91 million in legal fees and expenses for JGWPT's lawyers at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Latham & Watkins took the lead for underwriters on the float.
In September 2014, JGWPT ditched its name in favor of the J.G. Wentworth brand. Stephen Kirkwood currently serves as the company's chief legal and compliance officer. As for Prime Clerk, earlier this year the company hired former Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher restructuring associate Shira Weiner as director of legal affairs. In August, Weiner was elevated to general counsel.
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