HSBC Bank USA v. UAL Corp. (In Re UAL Corp.)

351 B.R. 916, 2006 Bankr. LEXIS 2498, 47 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 73, 2006 WL 2848609
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedOctober 5, 2006
Docket19-05684
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 351 B.R. 916 (HSBC Bank USA v. UAL Corp. (In Re UAL Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
HSBC Bank USA v. UAL Corp. (In Re UAL Corp.), 351 B.R. 916, 2006 Bankr. LEXIS 2498, 47 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 73, 2006 WL 2848609 (Ill. 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

EUGENE R. WEDOFF, Bankruptcy Judge.

This adversary proceeding is before the court for entry of judgment after trial. The adversary was brought by HSBC Bank USA (“HSBC”) to determine the nature, extent, and value of its interests in a lease held by United Air Lines, Inc. (“United”) at San Francisco Airport (“SFO”). HSBC is the indenture trustee for bondholders with a substantial claim against United. The parties have stipulated that this bond claim is secured by a portion of United’s leased real estate at SFO, and the issue at trial was the value of that portion of the lease-HSBC’s collateral. HSBC’s bond claim exceeds the value of the collateral, and so, pursuant to 11 *918 U.S.C. § 506(a), the claim is bifurcated into a secured claim to the extent of the value of the collateral and an unsecured claim for the balance. The parties dispute the value of the collateral.

The collateral-particular leased real estate-is a unique asset. Because no market exists for this precise asset, comparison to similar property provides the best measure of value. As discussed below, the appropriate comparison is to airport property of the same type in the same location as the collateral, rather than to facilities in distant locations that could be used for the debtor’s intended purpose. Under this valuation method, HSBC’s secured claim has a value of $27,247,632.

Jurisdiction

Title 28 U.S.C. § 1334(a) grants district courts exclusive jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases, but 28 U.S.C. § 157(a) allows these cases to be referred to bankruptcy court. Under Internal Operating Procedure 15(a), the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has made such a reference of all of its bankruptcy cases. When presiding over a referred case, the bankruptcy court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1) to enter appropriate orders and judgments in core proceedings within the case. The pending adversary proceeding is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(B) (allowance or dis-allowance of claims against the estate) and (K) (proceedings to determine the extent of the validity, extent, or priority of liens). This court may therefore enter a final judgment.

Background

HSBC is the Indenture Trustee for bonds issued by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (“CSCDA”) in the principal amount of $154,845,000. The proceeds from the bonds financed projects for United at SFO. CSCDA sought to ensure payment of these bonds by entering into a sublease-leaseback transaction with United. In this transaction, United first subleased to CSCDA one portion of a large leasehold at SFO called the Maintenance Operations Center (the “MOC”). The sublease extended through 2033 even though at the time of the transaction, United’s MOC lease extended only through 2003, with an option to renew through 2013. The sublease addressed this anomaly by providing that if the MOC lease terminated before 2033, the sublease would terminate as well.

As the second part of the sublease-leaseback transaction, CSCDA leased the subject property back to United, with leaseback rent equal to the debt service on the bonds. The leaseback also extended through 2033 or until the bonds were paid off (with a cap at 2038). If the MOC lease terminated before 2033-or if for any reason United lost the ability to use the property-the leaseback still obligated United to pay “rent” until the bonds were paid off. As part of the transaction, CSCDA assigned its rights to enforce the sublease to the Indenture Trustee for the bondholders, currently HSBC.

After its bankruptcy filing, United stopped paying the rent required under the leaseback from CSCDA, thus breaching the leaseback and causing a default in the bond payments.

In the course of United’s bankruptcy, this court determined that the sublease-leaseback transaction was not a set of “true leases” under § 365 of the Bankruptcy Code but rather a secured financing arrangement-effectively a leasehold mortgage. The effect of the transaction was that a failure by United to make the required bond payments would give HSBC the right to take possession of the “subleased” property and lease that property to another party. Thus, the court found, *919 the portion of United’s MOC lease that was subleased to CSCDA was actually collateral securing United’s obligation to pay the bonds issued by CSCDA. United Air Lines, Inc. v. HSC Bank USA, 307 B.R. 618 (Bankr.N.D.Ill.2004). On appeal, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the determination that the sublease-leaseback transaction was security for United’s obligation to pay the CSCDA bonds. United Airlines, Inc. v. HSBC Bank USA, 416 F.3d 609, 617-18 (7th Cir.2005), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 126 S.Ct. 1465, 164 L.Ed.2d 247 (2006).

While the appeal to the Seventh Circuit was pending, HSBC commenced this adversary proceeding to determine the nature, extent, and value of CSCDA’s interest in the subleased property, assigned to HSBC as trustee. After the Seventh Circuit’s decision, the parties stipulated that HSBC holds a perfected security interest in the subleased property. Stip., ¶ 1, Docket Item No. 18.

As of the petition date, United had exercised its option to extend the MOC lease through June 30, 2013. After the petition date, but before entering the Stipulation, United obtained a further option to renew the MOC lease for an additional ten years, to 2023.

United’s confirmed plan of reorganization provides that HSBC has a “Class 2B-2 Other Secured Claim” to the extent of the value of the collateral and a “Class 2E-6 Other Unsecured Claim” for any remaining claim. First Am. Disci. Stat., No. 02-B-48191, Docket Item No. 13,279, at 83. Under the plan, United has the option of paying the collateral value of the secured claim in cash. The remainder of HSBC’s claim is entitled to a pro rata share of the unsecured distribution, estimated to pay 4 to 8% of the claims. Second Am. Ch. 11 Plan, No. 02-B-48191, Docket Item No. 14,813, at 52, 57.

The collateral defined by the sublease is United’s leasehold interest in 20.75 acres of the MOC. This property is improved with a large hangar, an office/storage building with five floors and a mezzanine, and paved surface areas useful for parking aircraft.

Also located at SFO-in an area separate from United’s MOC-is a similar hangar facility called Superbay, which is leased to both American Airlines and United. Su-perbay is situated on 45.31 acres, and so, compared to the collateral, has roughly twice the area of open pavement.

Discussion

The valuation standard. Section 506(a) of the Bankruptcy Code governs the allowance and valuation of secured claims. It provides in part:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
351 B.R. 916, 2006 Bankr. LEXIS 2498, 47 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 73, 2006 WL 2848609, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hsbc-bank-usa-v-ual-corp-in-re-ual-corp-ilnb-2006.