The Eye of the Storm: Navigating the Surge in Middle-Market M&A Disputes
As the M&A market gains momentum, the complexity and value of legal disputes are reaching new heights. In this episode...
Forward for Specialty Finance
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The Rise of Layered Capital Structures in Middle Market Finance
The binary choice between senior secured debt and mezzanine financing is fading. In its place, a more sophisticated architecture has...
The Rise of Insurance-Linked Capital in Private Credit
Insurance companies have become the most consequential new participants in middle market private credit. Apollo Global Management's insurance affiliate Athene...
Cross-Border Capital Flows in Middle Market Private Credit
European and Asian institutional capital is moving into U.S. direct lending at an accelerating pace—reshaping competition, co-investment structures, and the...
The PIK Divide: Separating Structural Flexibility from Shadow Distress in Private Credit
As of the first quarter of 2025, 11 percent of investments valued by Lincoln International included some form of payment-in-kind...
Beyond the Zombie Buildup: Why Integration is the New Value Creation Currency
Learn why SolomonEdwards’ Matt Pencek believes "zombie buildups" are stalling PE exits in 2026 and how firms can unlock value...
The Clean Slate: Mastering Article 9 Restructuring
A recent episode of the ABF Journal Podcast explores a strategy that is increasingly vital for middle-market companies caught in...
The Dividend Recap Surge: What Record Sponsor Payouts Reveal About the Exit Impasse
Through the first eleven months of 2025, PE-backed companies issued $70.2 billion in leveraged loans earmarked for dividend recapitalizations —...
A Workout Without the Mess: When is Article 9 Restructuring the Right Path?
Adam DusoCEOSecond Wind Consultants Robert DiNozziChief Growth Officer Second Wind Consultants In any distressed credit, the senior lender’s objective is...
Basel III Endgame Delays Prolong Uncertainty for Middle Market Lenders
Nearly three years after U.S. regulators first proposed sweeping changes to bank capital requirements, the Basel III Endgame rule remains...
