Ford launches major debt restructuring

By Poornima Gupta

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co on Wednesday announced a plan to cut its $25.8 billion in automotive debt by about 40 percent by offering creditors cash and new shares as it looks to slash financing costs at a time of plunging sales and tight credit.

Ford shares declined 15 percent after the announcement of the plan to cut its debt by up to $10.4 billion, which could increase the number of shares outstanding.

But the bonds of Ford's finance arm jumped after the launch of the tender offer. Ford Motor Credit Co's 7.375 percent bond due 2011 rose 3.5 cents to 62 cents on the dollar, according to MarketAxess.

Following Ford's announcement, Standard & Poor's cut its corporate credit rating on Ford to "CC" from "CCC+", calling it a distressed debt exchange, while Fitch said it will not affect the current rating of "CCC".

Fitch said it would view the offers as "a mild positive" to the company's credit profile.

S&P said its downgrades do not reflect an increase in Ford's risk of bankruptcy.

Ford's plan represents an attempt by the second largest U.S. automaker to win the same kinds of concessions being negotiated by rivals General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC while steering clear of the bankruptcy-like process its rivals face under the terms of their government bailouts.

Despite the plans for new share issuance, the debt restructuring would leave the Ford family with its controlling stake in the automaker under separate Class B preferred shares. The voting interest of those shares will not be diluted.

Ford said it was making up to $2.2 billion cash available for the debt restructuring, which included conversion of debt to equity and two cash tender offers.

The automaker is paying out between 30 cents and 55 cents on the dollar as incentive to covert its debt.

Ford has the potential to restructure up to $10.4 billion of debt, given the cash available and the prices, it said.

The automaker's announcement is the latest step to bolster its finances and to maintain funding to complete a turnaround without seeking U.S. government loans.

BOLSTERING ITS BALANCE SHEET

Ford had earlier reached an agreement with the United Auto Workers union on contract changes to reduce its labor costs.

The UAW also had agreed to accept up to half of required payments to a union retiree healthcare trust, called VEBA, in stock, providing Ford with additional liquidity.