WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- A federal judge has confirmed auto parts supplier Visteon's reorganization plan, clearing the way for the company's emergence from bankruptcy.
Visteon, a major supplier of parts to Ford Motor Co., said Tuesday that it expects to end its Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Oct. 1. The company, based in Van Buren Township, Mich., filed its case in May 2009 as the auto industry was battered by sharply lower sales and the financial crisis.
Visteon said it has significantly reduced its debt and restructured. The company's plan, approved by shareholders and creditors earlier this month, has now been confirmed by Judge Christopher Sontchi of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The plan gives bondholders a roughly 95 percent stake in the new company in exchange for buying back $300 million of stock, and raising another $950 million by backing a stock rights offering.
But Visteon also had to work out an agreement over the health and life insurance benefits for more than 6,500 retirees.
