Find more information on the issues deeply affected by private equity investments:
Joann, the fabric and craft store, was one of the many private equity-backed companies to file for bankruptcy in 2024.[1] In February, the company announced it would close all stores and lay off 19,000 employees.
A new report from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) examines how private equity is betting big on investments in education and childcare as federal investment in public education continues to decline. “Making the grade?…
To download a PDF version of this report, click here. Childcare and K-12 education are critical to the success of a society, but the United States struggles to provide…
Sycamore Partners proposing to finance $22 billion Walgreens buyout with 83% debt More than double the average debt level (41%) used by private equity firms to acquire companies last year Based on the financing commitments Walgreens disclosed in a…
Walgreens buyer Sycamore Partners has a history of bankruptcies and workplace violations Yesterday, news broke of the acquisition of national pharmacy company Walgreens by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. The nonprofit watchdog Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) released the following…
PESP’s work and research into the private equity industry generates significant media coverage in numerous outlets. Scroll down to see where our expertise was featured in February 2025. Featured coverage Private equity in child care:…
Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Stephen Feinberg, CEO of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management and nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, about his role in the financial decline of Steward Health Care during…
New report exposes the tax loopholes fueling private equity’s predatory business model Washington, D.C.—Today, a comprehensive, joint report published by Americans for Tax Fairness, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, and Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund exposes the…
How ‘Vulture Investors’ Get Rich Wrecking Companies, Killing Jobs, Endangering the Vulnerable & Spoiling the Environment–And Our Tax Code Helps Them Do It Private equity (PE) firms use money raised from wealthy individuals and institutional investors…
➡️ Key Points ➡️ Introduction ➡️ Bankruptcy Tracker ➡️ Methods ➡️ The Human Cost of Private Equity Bankruptcies ➡️ Investor Outcomes in Bankruptcy Cases ➡️ Distressed Exchanges as a Response to Private Equity Debt Burdens ➡️ Implications of Private Equity Bankruptcies ➡️ Citations
New research released by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) shows that private equity played a disproportionately large role in large U.S. bankruptcies in 2024: 56% of large corporate bankruptcies (those with liabilities exceeding $500 million)…
PESP has released the Private Equity Bankruptcy Tracker A running list of U.S. bankruptcies connected to private equity Updated February 12, 2025 Key Findings Disproportionate Role in Bankruptcies Private equity firms played a role in 56% (27 of 48…
