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WorldCom History

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    WorldCom Sequence of Events

  • The Start of WorldCom

    Murray Waldron and William Rector start planning to build a company from the ground up. A discount long distance provider called Long- Distance Discount Service(LDDS).
  • Bernard Ebbers

    Bernard Ebbers, an investor in LDDS is named chief executive officer.
  • Advantage Companies Inc.

    Advantage Companies Incorporated made LDDS public in 1993.
  • An All Stock Deal

    An all stock deal with IDB Communications Group Incorportated led to LDDS aquiring domestic and international networking.
  • Changing the Name

    LDDS made a deal for $2.5 billion with Williams Telecommunications Group Incorporated. This led to LDDS being called WorldCom. LDDS gained voice and data transmission.
  • Merging

    WorldCom merged with MFS Communications Company Incoroporated and UUNet Technologies Incoroporated.
  • Merging Times 3

    WorldCom merged with three other companies. One for $40 billion, one for $1.2 billion, and the last for $1.3 billion.
  • WorlCom and Sprint

    WorldCom and Sprint agreed to merge in 1999.
  • Termination

    U.S and European regulators blocked the merge. The agreement to merge WorldCom and Sprint was terminated.
  • WorldCom At it Again

    WorldCom merges with a company that provides data and Internet Services to businesses.
  • The Start of the Fall

    WorldCom gets a request for all information related to financial procedures from the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • Cutting

    WorldCom starts to cut jobs and staff. Approximately 4% of WorldCom's overall staff.
  • Credit Ratings

    Standard and Poor's cuts all WorldCom's corporate credit ratings.
  • Moody's Investors Service

    Moody's Investors Service cuts WorldCom's long term ratings.
  • Bernard Ebbers Resignition

    Bernard Ebbers resigned when the share prices began to hit the dumps.
  • Junk Status

    May 9 Moody's cuts WorldCom's debt ratings to junk status. May 10 Standard and Poor's cut WorldCom to junk status.
  • Cutting WorldCom

    Standard and Poor's cuts WorldCom from its 500 index.
  • The Cut

    WorldCom cuts 17,000 employees from staff.
  • Revealing

    WorldCom reveals accounting flaws dating back as far as 1999.
  • Security

    WorldCom secured $2 billion financing package that the company would then use to their advantage during bankruptcy.
  • Bankruptcy Protection

    WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection.
    $107 billion in assets.
    $41 billion in debt.
    Making it the largest file of bankruptcy in U.S history.
  • Restructure

    WorldCom hires two men to oversee the restructure of the company, Gregory Rayburn and John Dubel. Both from AlixPartners LLC
  • Arrests

    Chief Financial Officer Scott Sullivan was arrested for playing in the scandal. As was, David Meyers the controller.
  • Staff

    WorldCom lays off more than 5,000 employees.
  • Write Off

    WorldCom makes a one-time $78.9 billion write- off.
  • Plead

    WorldCom's CFO Scott D. Sullivan pleads not guilty to securities and bank fraud.
  • WorldCom Civil Charges

    WorldCom agrees to pay back $500 million to settle civil fraud charges.
  • Federal Judge

    A federal judge approves a $750 million settlement.
  • Criminal Charges

    Attorney General W.A Drew Edmondson files criminal charges against WorldCom Incorporated and six former executives.
  • Guilty

    Bernard Ebbers found guilty of conspiracy.