Investment banks are gearing up to bid for the mandate to advise and lead Mirant 's roughly $1 billion balance sheet refinancing, according to sister publication, Power, Finance & Risk . Mirant could prepare to exit Chapter 11 as early as this summer. Credit Suisse First Boston and Citibank are seen as early frontrunners to land the deal as they are also Mirant's largest lenders. "We're in the early stages of thinking this through," noted a financier in Mirant's lending group. "We're exploring all ideas from loan revolvers to term loans to bond issuances," he added.
He expects Mirant's creditors committee, in conjunction with management, will run a beauty contest by March, though no formal date has been set. James Peters , a spokesman at Mirant in Atlanta, said he did not know when the company would emerge from bankruptcy or when a bank would be chosen to lead exit financing. A CSFB spokesman declined to comment. A Citi spokeswoman did not return calls.