Chesapeake to redeem $1.3 billion notes

In a direct challenge to its bondholders, Chesapeake Energy Corp went ahead with its plan to buy back $1.3 billion of notes early.

Chesapeake, the second-largest US natural gas company, said it issued a notice to redeem the bonds, 6.775 per cent notes maturing in 2019, at 100 cents on the dollar, or par.

It is pursuing the redemption despite failing at a Thursday hearing to persuade US District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan to force bond trustee Bank of New York Mellon Corp to accept the plan. Bank of New York Mellon and investors holding $250 million of the notes oppose the proposed redemption, saying Chesapeake acted too late.

The investor group argued that any redemp- tion should include an extra “make-whole” payment that Chesapeake has said could cost it an extra $400 million.

Chesapeake is hoping to avoid the $400 million payment as it tries to close a potential $4 billion cash shortfall this year.

In morning trading, the price of the notes fell 3.25 cents to 104 cents on the dollar, boosting the yield to 5.97 per cent from 5.34 per cent, according to bond pricing service Trace. The price had risen to a record high of 108 cents on Thursday.

The dispute is separate from a US Securities and Exchange Commission probe into a perk that granted Chesapeake’s departing chief executive, Aubrey McClendon, a stake in company wells, and a US Department of Justice probe into possible antitrust violations over Michigan land transactions.