IPC Systems Announces Comprehensive Agreement to Reduce Debt and Provide Significant Equity Capital to Support Long-Term Business Plan

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IPC Systems, Inc. ("IPC" or the "Company"), a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the global financial markets, today announced that it has entered into a Transaction Support Agreement (the "Agreement") with its key stakeholders, which will reduce the Company's debt by over $400 million, extend its debt maturity schedule by 5 years, and provide new capital of $125 million to deliver the resources for investment in long-term growth strategies.

Bob Santella, CEO of IPC, commented: "The balance sheet enhancements we are announcing today will allow us to continue building a robust future for IPC and strengthen our partnership with employees, customers, suppliers and other strategic relationships. I am especially excited about accelerating our efforts to provide our customers with new, innovative solutions for their mission-critical challenges – through both organic and inorganic actions in the months and years ahead. We are also encouraged and thankful to have the support of our shareholders and lenders, which reflects their high level of confidence in us."

The parties to the Agreement include: funds managed by Strategic Value Partners, LLC and its affiliates ("SVPGlobal"), a lender that, as a result of this transaction, will become a substantial equity sponsor and equityholder; affiliates of Centerbridge Partners, L.P. ("Centerbridge"), the Company's existing private equity sponsor, which will continue to be a significant equityholder; and certain of its current senior lenders, including HPS Investment Partners, LLC. HPS will continue to be IPC's primary lender, and will lead a single group of lenders in a new and streamlined debt structure.

Victor Khosla, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of SVPGlobal, said: "We strongly believe that, as the result of the agreement reached today, IPC will maintain its position as a global communications and networking solutions leader over the long term. We are excited about renewing our partnership with IPC, and, in our more active role, look forward to supporting management as they continue to provide the first-in-class services for which they are known."

Jared Hendricks, Senior Managing Director at Centerbridge, said: "IPC has an excellent track record of delivering innovative solutions to the world's leading financial institutions, and Bob has done a tremendous job leading the Company since he joined in 2018. We look forward to continuing to support IPC, Bob and his management team in their next phase of innovation and growth."

Mr. Santella continued: "At IPC, we pride ourselves on helping our clients anticipate change and solve problems, and this is equally true for how we manage our multi-award-winning business.  For nearly fifty years, we have evolved and adapted to grow and better serve our clients in a dynamic and changing industry. The actions we are announcing today will give the Company the financial foundation to continue setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology solutions for many years to come."

"We are grateful to our employees for their continued hard work and dedication to IPC's clients throughout this process. We also thank our customers, suppliers and other business partners for their support as we focused on aligning IPC's financial structure for long-term success," Santella concluded.

IPC's professional advisors included Kirkland & Ellis and Evercore.

About IPC
IPC is a technology and service leader powering the global financial markets. With a customer-first mentality, IPC brings together one of the largest and most diverse global financial ecosystems spanning all asset classes and market participants. As the enabler of this ecosystem, IPC empowers the community to interact, transact and react to market changes and challenges, and we collaborate with our customers to help make them secure, productive, compliant and connected. Visit www.ipc.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@IPC_Systems_Inc).

About SVPGlobal
SVPGlobal is a global investment firm focused on distressed debt, special situations and private equity opportunities with more than $17 billion in assets under management. The firm, established by Victor Khosla in 2001, has approximately 130 employees, including approximately 50 investment professionals, across its main offices in Greenwich (CT), London and a presence in Tokyo. It was among the earliest U.S. distressed firms to establish a European office, opening in London in 2004. In total, SVPGlobal has invested more than $36 billion of capital since its inception in 2001, including $16 billion in Europe, and led over 150 significant transactions. SVPGlobal is a signatory of the United Nations supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is recognized as the leading global network for investors committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment decision making. Learn more at www.svpglobal.com.

About Centerbridge
Centerbridge is a private investment management firm employing a flexible approach across investment disciplines — private equity, private credit and real estate — in an effort to develop the most attractive opportunities for our investors.  The Firm was founded in 2005 and as of July 1, 2021 has approximately $31 billion in capital under management with offices in New York and London.  Centerbridge is dedicated to partnering with world-class management teams across targeted industry sectors and geographies. For more information, please visit www.centerbridge.com.

Media Contacts:
Ganesh Iyer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer 
Ganesh.Iyer@ipc.com

Juliana Correa, Marketing Director
Juliana.Correa@ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE IPC Systems, Inc.