Citi, Morgan sink on Enron exposure
By Greg Morcroft, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 1:31 PM ET Nov. 28, 2001
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- J.P. Morgan and Citigroup shares fell hard Wednesday as investors fretted about the banks' exposure to troubled energy trader Enron.
Enron shares collapsed after Dynegy abandoned plans to buy the largest U.S. energy trader and Standard & Poor's cut its rating on the company to junk bond status. See full story.
J.P. Morgan Chase fell $2.30, or 5.8 percent, to $37.50, and was currently the biggest percentage loser among components of the Dow Industrials ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile). Fellow bank stock Citigroup (C: news, chart, profile) was the second biggest Dow loser, dropping $1.95, or 3.9 percent, to $48.60
Both firms have served as lenders and advisers to the embattled Enron, which today saw its debt rating cut to junk status and its would-be acquirer Dynegy walk away from the deal.
Early afternoon calls to Citigroup were not returned, and a J.P. Morgan spokesman declined to comment on reports of the bank's exposure to the situation.
The Wall Street Journal reported that both banks were attempting to finance Dynegy's proposed purchase of Enron, and had each committed roughly $700 million to $800 million in the form of various loans, about half of which were unsecured.
The report noted the banks had also committed an additional $250 million in equity investments.
Enron deal falls apart
Enron (ENE: news, chart, profile) shares were last trading at a little above $1, having lost as much as 75 percent of their value in the first few hours of trading. Dynegy (DYN: news, chart, profile) shares were down 8 percent at $37.50.
In a report Wednesday, rating agency S&P cut Enron's rating to B-minus, or junk status, from BBB-minus, which is the lowest investment-grade rating.
The rating agency said that the move reflects "concerns about the viability of the merger agreement with Dynegy and liquidity implications of the possible failure of that transaction. The ratings are placed on CreditWatch with developing implications."
Shares could be worthless
Analyst Michael Heim at A.G. Edwards said the downgrade of Enron's debt by Standard & Poor's "kills any chance of a deal" with Dynegy.
He believes Dynegy will have no problems using the debt downgrade to walk away from the deal without paying a break-up fee.
"Without a deal, Enron has no value, in our opinion, and will most likely be declared bankrupt shortly," Heim said in a note to clients.
"Unlike other bankruptcies in which a stock continues to trade at a low price, there are no hard assets to salvage."
He added the S&P downgrade will force Enron to accelerate a debt payment of $3.9 billion, making it virtually impossible for Enron trades to interact with most counterparties.
Greg Morcroft is New York news editor of CBS.MarketWatch.com.