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Here’s a small story that could be the start of a much larger story (cue scary music).

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts just canceled plans to sell $1.4 billion in loans for Maxeda, a Dutch department store. The reason is that investors are turning away from risky debt. This could snowball as risk-averse investors gradually turn away marginal borrowers. People who were burned on subprime don’t want it to happen again.

Bloomberg reports:

The deal is the third to be postponed or restructured by KKR in as many weeks as losses from the U.S. subprime mortgage rout make investors wary of financing leveraged buyouts. New York-based KKR is trying to raise 9 billion pounds ($18 billion) this week to finance its takeover of Nottingham, England-based drugstore chain Alliance Boots Plc.

KKR abandoned the debt sale for Amsterdam-based Maxeda after failing to entice investors by reducing prices for the debt and introducing covenants to restrict future borrowing. Citigroup Inc. and ABN Amro Holding NV have guaranteed to provide the financing.

“Due to current volatility of the credit markets, Citigroup and ABN Amro have decided to postpone syndication to a later stage when they expect markets to have stabilized,” Maxeda spokesman Arnold Drijver said today. The company's financing “is in place,” he said.

I wish them well. The sad part is that they’re being punished for the lousy decisions of others.

Posted by edelfenbein at July 16, 2007 10:49 AM