In Re Dynaco Corp.

162 B.R. 389, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1972, 1993 WL 546231
United States Bankruptcy Court, D. New Hampshire·Decided December 21, 1993·No. 19-01008·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

Memorandum Opinion

JAMES E. YACOS, Chief Judge.

These jointly administered chapter 11 cases came before the Court for hearing on October 5, 1993 and October 14, 1993 upon debtors’ Motion for Continued Use of Cash Collateral, filed on October 1, 1993, and an Objection thereto filed by State Street Bank & Trust Company, the secured creditor having a claim upon the cash collateral involved. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors supports debtors’ requested use of cash collateral. See Memorandum in Support of Motion to Use Cash Collateral (Court Doc. No. 98). By Order dated November 3, 1993, I authorized debtors’ continued use of its cash collateral with certain limitations. See Order Authorizing Use of Cash Collateral BK Nos. 93-12141-JEY and 93-12142-JEY, slip op. (Nov. 3, 1993) (Ct.Doc. No. 118). This Memorandum Opinion sets forth the reasoning and legal authority supporting the Order. This Opinion is based on the record established as of the time of the entry of the aforesaid Order.

The issue presented by debtors’ cash collateral request is whether a court can grant debtors’ requested use of cash collateral when the record indicates that debtors’ collateral base will suffer a decline of approximately $640,000 in the third and fourth months of post-petition operation, but when further documentation shows that debtors will reverse that decline and restore the original level over a more extended operational period.

After a review of the entire record in this matter, including considerable testimony and documentary evidence, extensive oral arguments of counsel, memoranda and supplemental memoranda, the Court determines that it is appropriate to consider the long-term picture of debtors’ business projections rather than a short-term snapshot, and that in this instance the debtors have established grounds warranting their use of their cash collateral, such grounds consisting of a showing of adequate protection to the objecting creditor and realistic projections of equity over an extended operational period. The bases for these determinations are discussed below.

Facts 1

These debtors operated plants in New Hampshire (Dynaco Corporation) and in Arizona (Dynaco West Corporation) on an affiliated basis producing circuit boards for the use of various large manufacturing concerns in this country. Their customer base was made up of prime corporations that were well *393 satisfied by the work produced by the debtors. The debtors’ receivables show a historical collection rate of 98 percent, which corroborates this satisfaction. The debtors’ financial problems stem from the declining defense spending by the federal government in recent years, debtors’ need to shift more of their work into civilian contracts, and debtors’ accompanying need to reduce their costs during the transitional period.

The debtors had determined in 1992 that due to the decline in defense spending and contracting, which was a large part of their business, they would have to shift more of their work into civilian contracts. They also recognized that they would no longer be able to cover the overhead in the two plants. Accordingly, in the Spring of 1993 they determined, with the concurrence of State Street Bank & Trust Company, that the operations should be consolidated into the Arizona facility. Under federal law they were required to give a 60-day notice to their employees about the termination of the New Hampshire operations. This notice was given on May 18, 1993. Surprisingly, many of the employees left earlier than expected and the debtors were presented with a situation in which they had to cover a reduced operation with high overhead expenses in New Hampshire. It was important for debtors to maintain their operations since preservation of the customer base was a primary goal.

State Street Bank & Trust Company, the objecting creditor here, agreed to the consolidation of operations into Arizona, and the costs involved, as being appropriate to preserve the customer base of these debtors and to reduce overhead costs. However one “cost” which evidently was not fully evaluated by either the debtors or the Bank prior to debtors’ consolidation was the danger that the disruption of customer orders even before the actual period of the move might interrupt the acceptance of customer orders and in effect cause an additional decline in cash flow for that reason. The debtors had assumed that their Derry employees would stay for the two months prior to the chapter 11 filing to accept and service orders in a more or less normal fashion before the move but as indicated above many of the employees left early. The “two-month glitch” caused by this development is at the heart of the financial problem which has led to the present dispute between the debtors and State Street Bank & Trust Company.

On July 23, 1993, debtors’ filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On July 27,1993, debtors filed an Emergency Motion for Authority to Use Cash Collateral (Court Doc. No. 7), which the Court granted that date with the limitation that such usage extended only until a hearing could be held on the accompanying financing agreement. See Order and Memorandum Opinion, 158 B.R. 552 (Bankr.D.N.H.1993) (Court Doc. No. 10). Thereafter the Court entered a series of orders continuing and extending debtors’ authority to use cash collateral. See Order Authorizing Continued Cash Collateral Usage, slip op. at 2 (Nov. 3, 1993) (Court Doc. No. 118) (listing prior interim cash collateral orders). All but the initial limited order were consented to by State Street Bank & Trust Company. By orders entered in August 1993, the Court authorized debtors to continue and complete their planned movement of the Derry, New Hampshire plant and equipment to the Tempe, Arizona facility-

Cash Collateral Adequate Protection

Debtors seeking to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code frequently need to use their cash and proceeds therefrom in order to continue with their business operations. However said cash and proceeds are often subject to security interests of pre-petition lenders and debtors must obtain court authorization to use this “cash collateral”. 11 U.S.C. § 363(b). The Court must ensure that, to the extent the debtor is entitled to use cash collateral, there is adequate protection of the creditor’s security interest so as to maintain the “benefit of the bargain” that the secured creditor originally made with the debtors. 11 U.S.C. §§ 361, 363(e). This requires a showing that the value of the creditor’s security interest is protected and the debtor’s use of cash collateral will not threaten that interest. H.R.Rep. No. 95-595, 95th Cong., 1st Sess. *394 339 (1977), U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 1978, p. 5787; 2 Collier on Bankruptcy ¶ 363.03 (15th ed. 1993). As one court explained:

In reviewing an application under 11 U.S.C. § 363

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In Re Dynaco Corp., 162 B.R. 389, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1972, 1993 WL 546231 (N.H. 1993).

162 B.R. 389 (In Re Dynaco Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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