Sinclair’s Loose Debt Covenants Come Back to Bite Bond Investors

There’s a saying in the junk bond market that covenants don’t matter until they do. Now, as the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic sends a new class of companies spiraling into distress, those investor protections are being put to the test.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. is asking bondholders to take a 40 cent haircut on a $1.8 billion unsecured bond it sold less than a year ago to fund the acquisition of Walt Disney Co.’s regional sports networks. The steep discount on the ongoing debt swap has met with resistance from investors, but the company sought to remind holders just how much power it has. That’s thrown into the spotlight how weak covenants are coming home to roost.