CIT Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

After struggling for months to avert bankruptcy, lender CIT Group has filed for Chapter 11 protection in an attempt to restructure its debt while trying to keep badly needed loans flowing to thousands of mid-sized and small businesses.

Analysts warned that the bankruptcy could add to the uncertainty around loans for the nation’s small businesses, especially retailers, which make up a significant portion of CIT’s clients and are already struggling with tight credit markets.

CIT is the financier for about 2,000 vendors that supply merchandise to more than 300,000 stores, many of which are gearing up for the critical holiday shopping season. They rely on the lender to cover costs ranging from paying for orders to making payroll. Any disruption caused by bankruptcy could wreak havoc on their operations, Joe Alouf, a partner with Eaglepoint Advisors, a crisis management company that is partly owned by Kurt Salmon Associates. - AP

How do you think CIT's bankruptcy filing will affect your business plans for 2010?

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Related Reading:

• CIT Bankruptcy: 5th Largest in U.S., CNNMoney
• Taxpayers Lose $2.3 Billion with CIT Bankruptcy
• CIT Group's Ch. 11 Leaves Lending Hole, Nation's Restaurant News
• After Filing Bankruptcy, CIT Wants to Borrow $500 Million Cushion, Cleveland.com
• CIT Bankruptcy to Leave Small Businesses Concerned, Reuters