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KKR has seized control of French steel abrasives maker Winoa in a debt restructuring of the company after its previous private equity owner refused to inject cash.

The deal is an indication of more restructurings in Europe as lenders become less accommodating after years of extending the loans of struggling leveraged buyouts in the aftermath of the financial crisis, according to Mubashir Mukadam, head of special situations for KKR in Europe.

“Banks in Europe are less willing to amend and extend, they want new money,” Mr Mukadam told the Financial Times. “Winoa is a very good business with an incredible market share globally but with an unbearable capital structure. It needs capital now when Europe is showing signs of recovery.”

Winoa, formerly known as Wheelabrator Allevard, had been in discussions with its creditors and owner for about a year to renegotiate its loans or be sold when KKR bought more than 50 per cent of the debt at a discount from banks ready to take on losses to exit the credit.

The New York-based buyout group sought a controlling stake in the company in exchange for slashing the debt and injecting additional capital in a rare consensual deal with the owner, LBO France, which has received an undisclosed financial compensation.

In the deal, Winoa’s debt will be cut from €340m, or nearly 7 times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, to €188m, and it will receive €60m in cash. KKR will find itself in the unusual position of holding the majority of both the debt and equity in Winoa until the company can issue a bond to refinance its loans.

Private equity groups including KKR, Apollo, Oaktree and Blackstone, are seeking to take advantage of a dearth of credit in Europe to lend to companies or take control of them after buying their debt. They want to fill the void left by European banks that are cutting assets and curbing lending to meet more stringent regulatory capital.

KKR’s special situations and direct lending teams have invested about €3bn in European credit over the past 3 years. Recent deals have included a €350m financing package for Hilding Anders, a Swedish beds maker, and a €320m facility to Spanish building material company Uralita.

LBO France, which is seeking to raise a new fund after its flagship vehicle ran out of money, bought Winoa from Paris-based group Wendel in 2005 for €415m. Two years later, on the eve of the financial crash, it took a dividend by adding debt to the company, returning about half of its initial investment – in a so-called dividend recapitalisation. The maker of abrasives for the metal and stone industries has since grappled with its debt load throughout the downturn.

Earlier this year, LBO France also ceded control of French clay tile and brick maker Terreal after creditors including Goldman Sachs and Park Square agreed to cut the company’s debt burden by more than half.

I cannot close the side bar with the short-cut keys (cntrl/cmd +k/b) on Windows or a Mac. This has been a problem for a few months.

Congratulations. You bought insurance through one of the online Affordable Care Act exchanges, possibly after days or weeks of trying to get the site to work.
Don’t relax. Joining the plan is only the first challenge. Now you have to understand it.
Policies sold through the online portals — to more than 3 million people so far — cover essential benefits and put a cap on your out-of-pocket medical costs.
But you need to follow the rules. And the boilerplate explanation you got from the insurance company may be hard to understand.
What do members need to know about these plans that they probably don’t?

Carry your membership card everywhere.
Make copies. It’ll save huge amounts of hassle if you have an unexpected doctor or hospital visit.

Understand your plan’s doctor and hospital network.
Insurance companies negotiate participation and payment rates with a network of providers to control costs.
“A lot of these exchange plans, in order to stay affordable, have much smaller networks than people are used to,” says Nancy Metcalf, a senior editor for Consumer Reports. For many new members, “just because their friend has a plan and can go to a particular hospital doesn’t mean that they necessarily can.”
You can check a plan’s directory – either online or often part of the documents you receive when you enroll – to find out if specific physicians are part of your network. You can call doctors’ offices to confirm, too.

Stay in the network!
The health law says that, once you join a qualified plan, you won’t pay more out of pocket per year than $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family.
But this applies only to in-network care. Whether you’re in an HMO that pays almost no out-of-network benefits or a PPO that covers some, the pocketbook protections don’t apply if you use a non-network doc or hospital.
Non-network providers also frequently bill you far more than what they charge patients intheir networks for the same procedure.

Try to stay in-network even if it’s for emergency care.
Insurance plans do have to pay for non-network emergency visits under the health law. If you’re in a car crash far from home you can’t be picky about which hospital saves your life.
But non-network hospitals often “balance-bill” the difference between what your plan pays and what they charge, which is often much more.

Avoid all emergency rooms unless it’s really an emergency.
Traditionally, health plans came with a modest copayment for an emergency visit – maybe $150.
But many policies sold under the health law, even those in the more expensive “gold” category, not only have ER copays of several hundred dollars but also subject ER charges to the overall deductible. (Copays are flat fees for specific services. Deductibles are what you pay out of pocket before the insurance kicks in.)
That means you could be billed for the full cost of an emergency visit — up to the out-of-pocket limit.
“This is a huge difference and will really hurt the unsuspecting person,” says John Jaggi, an Illinois insurance broker. “We’re putting a lot more people into that exposure here.”
Broken leg? Head to the hospital. Sprained ankle? Maybe wait until the urgent care center or doctor’s office opens.

Pay monthly premiums on time and accurately.
“Do not mess around. Pay your premium,” admonishes Karen Pollitz, a consumer specialist at the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent project of the foundation.) “Otherwise that will be the end of you and you won’t get to sign up again until the next open season.”
(Open enrollment for 2014 coverage ends March 31. Open enrollment for 2015 begins Nov. 15.)
Even underpaying the premium by a few cents could give the insurance company grounds to kick you off, she said. Insurers allow a brief grace period if you get behind — somewhat longer if you’re receiving premium subsidies — but they will terminate coverage for nonpayment.

Register online with your new insurance company.
Insurance sites are good for tracking claims. Increasingly they also let you shop around for the best deals on non-emergency treatment.
“Your health plan might pay one imaging center half what it pays another imaging center,” Metcalf said. “That’s really important if you’ve got a big deductible.”

Save paperwork. Make sure you really owe what doctors and hospitals bill you for.
“Now is a good time to become a pack rat,” says Pollitz. “If you’ve got any concern, it really is worth it to make a call and get them to explain what they did.”

If you don’t get satisfaction from providers or insurers, try regulators.
Check the insurer’s explanation of benefits detailing your claims. It may show a phone number for a consumer assistance program in your state to help deal with medical coverage.
Here is a list of consumer assistance programs. This list has contact information for state insurance departments and other regulators.

Do read the plan’s summary of benefits and coverage.
“Get it and print it out, because that has the details of your plan,” says Metcalf. “How it works. What do you have to pay in order to go to a primary care doctor? Is it before or after the deductible?
“How big is your deductible? How much does it cost to go to the emergency room?”
It’s not like reading John Grisham. But the subjects – your health and your money — are really important.

Insurance Fraud Certified at Koyal Group
SAINT JOHN, N.B. – Consumers are encouraged to learn how to spend smart and spend safe during Fraud Prevention Month. The Financial and Consumer Services Commission is providing resources to New Brunswickers to help.

"Whether you are shopping at the mall or making purchases online, you should be looking at how you can spend smartly and safely," said Andrew Nicholson, director of education and communications with the commission. "During March, we will be offering tips and free resources to help empower you to make the right financial decisions, no matter where or how you are spending your money."

Commission staff will be available at several home shows, scam jams and presentations around the province during the month. The schedule is online.

"Sometimes we need a reminder to think twice before handing over our hard-earned money," said Nicholson. "Protecting your money can be as easy as asking questions about return policies before you buy or checking the licence or registration of someone selling you insurance or investments. We can take small, but important, steps to protect ourselves."

Each week of the month has a theme reflecting the activities taking place:

– March 8 – International Women's Day event: Pathways to Empowerment, Delta Brunswick Hotel, 39 King St., Saint John.

– March 11 – Too Good To Be True Day. New Brunswickers will be encouraged to use the hashtag #2Good2BTrue to get tips and information from Fraud Prevention Forum members across Canada on recognizing and avoiding frauds and scams. Follow the commission on Twitter: @4NBInvestors.

– March 19 – Check Registration Day. New Brunswickers will be encouraged to check the registration of their financial adviser. Checking registration is a quick and easy first step you can take to protect your investments. Scam jams are scheduled in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton this week.

The commission encourages New Brunswickers to take the time now to improve their financial health. Find free tools and resources on spending and saving, investing, insurance, pensions and more online.

The Financial and Consumer Services Commission regulates, educates and protects consumers and investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices. It brings together regulatory authorities for securities, insurance, pensions, consumer affairs, co-operatives, credit unions, caisses populaires and loan and trust companies. It is an arm's-length Crown corporation funded by the fees and assessments paid by the regulated sectors.

This exclusive content, featuring third-party money managers, economists, academics, and other financial professionals, cuts through the clutter with actionable investment information.


Seeking to Do Munis Better - January 2014
JP Morgan’s Priscilla Hancock calms the fixed-income waters and reveals where she’s finding attractive opportunities

Seeking Real Return in Times of Low Inflation - January 2014
While real return funds might seem less appealing as inflationary pressures remain subdued, Pioneer’s Howard Weiss believes they represent a strategy that should remain a core portfolio holding, no matter the environment

Seeking the Upside in a Tough Bond Market - January 2014
As fixed income stumbles, BlackRock’s Joshua Tarnow looks to stay above water with an absolute-return strategy


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Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link: http://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mssbemail.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only

*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and its affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice. To the extent that this material or any attachment concerns tax matters, it is not intended to be used and cannot be used by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer's particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

The securities/instruments, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be suitable for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or investment strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. The views and opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley.


Find More Info:
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Our clients through our projects experiencing measurable business results, such as an increase in rankings or awards for exceptional quality. Deutsche Bank: ranked Friendly Bank NEWSWEEK, increased its position from 22 to 7th place . Polish Airlines: best airline in Central and Eastern Europe, in the category of high standards of customer service . DB Schenker: emblem Investor in Human Capital . Financial House QS: The Golden Customer Laurel in 2008, 2009 and 2010. comprehensively support our clients in the areas of our expertise with the client move the process . We carry out projects from managing change, implementing staff analysis of potential employees in the required fields (such as internal coaches), managing the design team creating Standards Manual, to the training. Ethics is a core value for us We teach only those methods of communication with customers and coaching that are transparent ethically. They have no manipulation, tricks and activities designed to create a one-off effect. kind of work we know our customers are reliable for the participants, because we know their work (almost) as good as they do! Why? We achieve this by the fact that one of the first stages of a project is always a clear understanding of the specifics of project participants. We look at their work, learn about the products, the tools they use, talk with them and their clients. Training is always exactly based on the daily realities of the work of the participants, based on the specific products and topics of conversation that they face every day. More energy implementation activities! Our customers expect us to effect this consistency and discipline Implementation causes permanent changes. We do not give customers peace after the end of training. We know that acquiring new knowledge and skills is more attractive than the consistent application of its work. However, the latter gives a real return and ensure success.

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When I select some text, then I do Ctrl-h, the "in selection" button should be pressed. It's very irritating to have to constantly click that button to run the find/replace in what I've already selected. Does that make sense?

http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/index.html

But does it have to be this difficult?

Case in point: Holly Larkey of San Clemente, who signed up and paid for a new Kaiser plan through Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange, and did so well before deadline. Then she says she discovered that Covered California or Kaiser — or both — botched her coverage.

Instead of filling her prescriptions and visiting her doctor this month, as she had planned, Larkey has been trapped in a Kafkaesque game of bureaucratic pingpong, in which she is the ball.

If my inbox is any indication, her experience isn't isolated. Many of you are struggling with bureaucratic fiascos related to your new plans, and not just with Kaiser.

In today's column, I'm going to give you tips on what to do if you, like Larkey, can't get the coverage you signed up for and paid for.


Question: Can you help me?

Answer: That's how Larkey, 62, ended her initial email to me.

Back in November, Larkey was thrilled to learn that she qualified for tax credits and would save hundreds of dollars a month on her new Kaiser health plan.

But upon trying to fill one of her prescriptions this month, she learned that Covered California inadvertently canceled her new plan and enrolled her in another one with less coverage. The plan also costs more because her tax credits weren't applied.

And even though Kaiser cashed the check she wrote for her January premium, she received another bill saying she owes for both January and February.

Larkey has doggedly tried to fix the problem and estimates that she has invested at least 50 hours so far. When she calls Covered California — or rather, when she gets through its jammed phone lines — she is told to call Kaiser. Kaiser tells her to call Covered California. She has been assigned two different case numbers, which has muddled the process.

I contacted Covered California to explain Larkey's case and ask what people in her situation should do.

"Covered California recognizes there are people in this situation, and we're making it a top priority to straighten out these accounts," says spokeswoman Anne Gonzales.

Gonzales advises people with problems to call the Covered California general information line at (800) 300-1506. I told Gonzales that Larkey is doing just that, but often can't get through or is put on hold for hours.

Gonzales acknowledges that Covered California's 1,288 phone lines are typically at capacity at any given time.

"We ask that consumers be patient, keep trying and— this is important — know that once their cases are resolved, they will get retroactive coverage as long as they've met all the enrollment and payment deadlines, she says.

I'm not sure how you can keep up with payment deadlines if you're not getting billed for the correct plan or the correct amount, but …

Kaiser, too, says the best thing to do is call its main toll-free line: (800) 464-4000. (I presume other insurers would instruct you to do the same thing if you're having trouble with them.)

Like Covered California, Kaiser also is getting deluged with calls, says spokeswoman Sandra Hernandez-Millett. The best times to call are after 5 p.m. or on weekends, she advises.

It's all so simple.

In reality, it's often not, so I consulted with Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California.

Wright reminded me that California has two regulatory bodies that oversee health plans: The Department of Insurance and the Department of Managed Health Care (whose help center can be reached at 888-466-2219).

You should contact them if you aren't getting the care or coverage you think you're entitled to under your policy, he says.

But what if you're having trouble like Larkey and aren't getting enough help from Covered California or your insurer to iron out bureaucratic glitches?

 

In an HTML, HTML5, or Djaneiro HTML (Django) file, if you press tab after {} it removes both braces.

Examples:

{% endif %}type_anything_here<tab>

will results in:

[cursor here]% endif %

Or simply:

{}<tab>

will result in nothing. It just removes the braces.

The first example is the actual situation I am having. In django templates, I find myself often trying to complete a tab trigger after a django template tag, and it doesn't work unless I put a space after the } and before my tab trigger.

In this article, we explore China’s social security system, which is especially complex because it is organized at the regional level. While the formal social security system only covers urban workers, some rural workers who move to the cities to work (the so-called “floating population”) are also covered. On account of China’s sheer size and legal diversity, the country’s social insurance system is among the most difficult in the world to navigate.


The social security system in China consists of five different types of insurance, plus one mandatory housing fund, introduced in the chart below. How companies register and deregister their employees often varies depending upon the city and the employee’s location or residency. In many large cities (with some notable exceptions such as Beijing), the registration and deregistration of most employees can be completed online. Similar to withholding tax, companies can make monthly contributions to the fund via direct debit. Many city governments, however, also restrict which banks are able to facilitate the transaction. At the present time, local Chinese banks can facilitate these transactions and businesses should verify which banks are approved by the local government to do so in their area of operation.



This article is an excerpt from the January and February 2014 issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, titled “Payroll Processing Across Asia.” In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we provide a country-by-country introduction to how payroll and social insurance systems work in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India and Singapore. We also compare three distinct models companies use to manage their payroll across various countries with external vendors, and explain the differences among three main models: country-by-country, managed, and integrated models while highlighting some benefits and drawbacks of each.

Dezan Shira & Associates is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia. Since its establishment in 1992, the firm has grown into one of Asia’s most versatile full-service consultancies with operational offices across China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Vietnam as well as liaison offices in Italy and the United States.

For further details or to contact the firm, please email asia@dezshira.com, visit www.dezshira.com, or download the company brochure.

You can stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends across Asia by subscribing to Asia Briefing’s complimentary update service featuring news, commentary, guides, and multimedia resources.