Cleveland-Cliffs Completes Full Redemption of Senior Notes due 2021

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CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF) announced today that it is redeeming in full, as set forth in the notice of redemption issued on April 30, 2019, all of its outstanding 4.875% Senior Notes due April 2021. Cliffs’ nearest debt maturity date is now in 2024.

This redemption is part of the liability management transaction that also included the retirement of $600 million of Cliffs’ outstanding 5.75% Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2025. The Financing Condition for this Tender Offer was the issuance of the Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2027, which was satisfied, as expected, on May 13, 2019.

Lourenco Goncalves, Cliffs’ Chairman, President, and CEO said, “With the conclusion of these latest refinancing transactions and with no maturity dates for the next five years, our balance sheet is in its best shape since I started with Cliffs in August 2014. Such remarkable financial strength continues to improve in real time as a direct consequence of the New Normal multi-year shortage of iron ore and pellets, which is driving up our pricing realizations and supporting our forecast of an EBITDA of more than $800 million in 2019.” Mr. Goncalves continued, “On top of that, with the Toledo HBI plant tracking on time and on budget, in 2020 we will be adding another layer of profitability to an already strong free cash flow profile, supporting even higher EBITDA levels going forward.”

About Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Founded in 1847, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is the largest and oldest independent iron ore mining company in the United States. The company is a major supplier of iron ore pellets to the North American steel industry from its mines and pellet plants located in Michigan and Minnesota. By 2020, Cliffs expects to be the sole producer of hot briquetted iron (HBI) in the Great Lakes region with the development of its first production plant in Toledo, Ohio. Driven by the core values of safety, social, environmental and capital stewardship, Cliffs’ employees endeavor to provide all stakeholders with operating and financial transparency.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. As a general matter, forward-looking statements relate to anticipated trends and expectations rather than historical matters. Forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties and factors relating to Cliffs’ operations and business environment that are difficult to predict and may be beyond our control. Such uncertainties and factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no ongoing obligation, other than that imposed by law, to update these statements. Uncertainties and risk factors that could affect Cliffs’ future performance and cause results to differ from the forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to: uncertainty and weaknesses in global economic conditions, including downward pressure on prices caused by oversupply or imported products, reduced market demand and risks related to U.S. government actions with respect to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act (as amended by the Trade Act of 1974), the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and/or other trade agreements, treaties or policies; continued volatility of iron ore and steel prices and other trends, which may impact the price-adjustment calculations under our sales contracts; our ability to successfully diversify our product mix and add new customers beyond our traditional blast furnace clientele; our ability to cost-effectively achieve planned production rates or levels, including at our HBI plant; our ability to successfully identify and consummate any strategic investments or development projects, including our HBI plant; the impact of our customers reducing their steel production due to increased market share of steel produced using other methods or lighter-weight steel alternatives; our actual economic iron ore reserves or reductions in current mineral estimates, including whether any mineralized material qualifies as a reserve; the outcome of any contractual disputes with our customers, joint venture partners or significant energy, material or service providers or any other litigation or arbitration; problems or uncertainties with sales volume or mix, productivity, tons mined, transportation, mine-closure obligations, environmental liabilities, employee-benefit costs and other risks of the mining industry; impacts of existing and increasing governmental regulation and related costs and liabilities, including failure to receive or maintain required operating and environmental permits, approvals, modifications or other authorization of, or from, any governmental or regulatory entity and costs related to implementing improvements to ensure compliance with regulatory changes; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity, our level of indebtedness and the availability of capital could limit cash flow available to fund working capital, planned capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes or ongoing needs of our business; our ability to continue to pay cash dividends, and the amount and timing of any cash dividends; our ability to maintain appropriate relations with unions and employees; the ability of our customers, joint venture partners and third-party service providers to meet their obligations to us on a timely basis or at all; events or circumstances that could impair or adversely impact the viability of a mine and the carrying value of associated assets, as well as any resulting impairment charges; uncertainties associated with natural disasters, weather conditions, unanticipated geological conditions, supply or price of energy, equipment failures and other unexpected events; adverse changes in interest rates and tax laws; and the potential existence of significant deficiencies or material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. For additional factors affecting the business of Cliffs, refer to Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and other filings filed with the SEC, including our Current Reports on Form 8-K. You are urged to carefully consider these risk factors.

MEDIA:
Patricia Persico
Director, Corporate Communications
(216) 694-5316

INVESTOR:
Paul Finan
Director, Investor Relations
(216) 694-6544

Source: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Released May 30, 2019