Patriot Coal Corporation, a producer and marketer of coal products in the eastern U.S., announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York granted Patriot interim approval of its $802 million debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from Citigroup Global Markets, Barclays Bank and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as joint lead arrangers, and granted Patriot interim authorization to access immediately $677 million of the DIP financing.

The DIP financing and cash from the company’s ongoing operations will provide Patriot with financial flexibility to operate its business in the ordinary course, including funding post-petition payments to suppliers and meeting other customary business obligations, during the reorganization process.

In addition, the court granted interim authorization for Patriot to continue to pay wages and provide health care and other benefits to employees, use existing cash management systems, and take certain other actions to help ensure that Patriot’s mining operations and customer shipments continue in the ordinary course.

As previously announced, Patriot Coal and substantially all of its wholly owned subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on July 9, 2012. The case has been assigned to the Honorable Shelley C. Chapman.

Previously on abfjournal.com:

Patriot Coal Files for Chapter 11, Receives DIP Loan Commitment, Tuesday, July 10, 2012