Hostess is making news today as it is issuing $1.23 million in term loans—most of which will go toward paying $905 million in a special dividend to its private shareholders—which I may add, is also more than two times what the buyers paid for this tasty snack business, and triples the company’s debt. According to Bloomberg, these types of deals grew to nearly $16 billion in the second quarter, the highest level in the past 12 months. I’m not making a judgment for or against this action. I just want to make a point that this debt, or leverage recapitalization—spurred by low interest rates—is increasingly becoming a method in which private equity holders get their money back—without selling the business. But it does burden the company with additional debt, which isn’t going to fund company expansion or operations.