Holders of bonds that were written down when CS was rescued sued the Swiss government (FINMA). Yesterday, a court in St. Gallen determined there was no legal basis to declare the value of bonds as zero.
No legal basis, means the actions were illegal. No idea about what will happen. No precedent for this. If a court determined a reversal of the actions is needed, creditors would be entitled for compensation. UBS, errrr…the Swiss gov, errrr…taxpayers would be liable.
Meanwhile, the first vulture funds are already putting themselves in position. Redwood Capital Management, Diameter Capital Partners and 140 Summer Partners are said to have stocked up on AT1 bonds. Also involved could be Appaloosa, a hedge fund that specializes in distressed debt. According to Bloomberg, the fund is said to have held AT1 papers of the CS at least last year.
In distressed debt circles, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers is already being used as a blueprint for Credit Suisse. The U.S. investment bank, which went down in the 2008 storm of the financial crisis, posthumously gave some investors huge gains. Lehman Brothers International Europe’s creditors received their capital in full and, in addition, even generous interest payments.
This is serious gambling. Trying to understand the size of the gamble, it’s about 20% of the 2026 Swiss Federal budget.