DP2881 How to Sell a (Bankrupt) Company?

• Leonardo Felli Francesca Cornelli
9 Jul 2001

The restructuring of a bankrupt company often entails its sale. This Paper suggests a way to sell the company that maximizes the creditors' proceeds. The key to this proposal is the option left to the creditors to retain a fraction of the shares of the company. Indeed, by retaining the minority stake, creditors can transfer the control of the company while reducing to a minimum the rents that the sale of the company leaves in the hands of the buyer.