Australian fund Basis Yield files for bankruptcy

Basis Yield Alpha Fund, a hedge fund specializing in corporate and structured credit, on Wednesday filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States amid mounting losses from U.S. subprime mortgage assets, court papers show.

The Cayman Islands-registered fund, run by the Australian firm Basis Capital, listed more than $100 million of assets and more than $100 million of liabilities in its filing with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan.

The fund firm managed nearly $1 billion earlier this year.

In court papers, Basis Yield said it had in June begun to suffer a significant devaluation in its asset portfolio, following market volatility related to U.S. subprime lending defaults.

It said the devaluation led to margin calls, which it was unable to meet, and the issuance of several default notices by counterparties seeking to close out trades or seize assets.

Basis said JP Morgan Chase Bank NA, Goldman Sachs International, Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers International (Europe) and Merrill Lynch International all issued default notices.

Basis Yield said it has disputed many of these notices.

Earlier in the month, the hedge fund firm told investors that losses at one of its portfolios had lost more than 80 percent in assets.

Basis is among a growing number of hedge funds to have be plagued by the credit market turmoil. In July, Sowood Capital lost $1.5 billion and was forced to close down.