Credit/Special Situations
Australia portfolio companies: Debt burdens
High profile debt woes among portfolio companies in Australia has put some private equity firms on the defensive – for now
Aeon nears acquisition of bankrupt Incubator Bank of Japan
Aeon Bank, a unit of the retail and financial conglomerate Aeon Group, is in the final round of talks to purchase the bankrupt Incubator Bank of Japan, The Nikkei reported.
Indian property developers turn to private equity
Indian property developers will borrow about $1 billion from private equity funds this fiscal year as banks cut back on lending, according to Knight Frank. PE funding to the sector came to INR12 billion ($252 million) in the last three months and the...
Clearwater raises $200m, targets $900m for Asia fund
Clearwater Capital Partners has so far raised $200 million for its fourth Asia ex-Japan fund, which will target special situations investments in public and private debt and equity. The company is aiming for a final close of around $900 million, a source...
Nomura appointed to oversee sale of Tokyo Star Bank
Lone Star Funds and its fellow creditors have hired Nomura to sell off Tokyo Star Bank, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Lone Star sold the asset to Advantage Partners (AP) less than four years ago but resumed...
Sino-Forest expected to default on $1.3b in debt
Sino-Forest, the Toronto-listed Chinese timber firm whose chairman and CEO resigned on Sunday after regulators expressed concerns about fraudulent activity, is expected to default on its $1.3 billion of debt.
ANZ linked to potential acquisitions of Tokyo Star Bank, Aozora Bank
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) is reportedly looking to acquire Lone Star-controlled Tokyo Star Bank or Cerberus-owned Aozora Bank.
Japanese property plays
There are plenty of obstacles for foreigners targeting distressed Japanese real estate, but deal flow is slowly emerging
Blackstone hunts for financing for Valad acquisition
Blackstone is reportedly seeking A$431 million ($452 million) in financing to complete its purchase of distressed Australian property group Valad, and will tap investors in Australia and Greater China for the money.
Asia distressed assets: Off the radar
While the region’s phenomenal growth story has mostly sidelined any discussion of distress, insiders see that changing
A&P Financial wins court approval for Takefuji rehabilitation plan
Takefuji, a failed Japanese consumer lender, has finally received court approval for its rehabilitation plan. Korean firm A&P Financial, which beat the likes of Cerberus Capital Management, TPG and J Trust to win the bankruptcy administrator's backing,...
Lone Star to begins Tokyo Star divestment process - report
US-based buyout fund Lone Star has begun preparations to divest its 30% stake in Japanese lender Tokyo Star Bank, Reuters reported, adding that Lone Star has asked investment banks to submit proposals to advise on the potential sale.
Lone Star exits Tokyo retail property to Hulic
Lone Star's sale of YODOBASHI MULTI Media Kichijoji, a commercial complex building in a west Tokyo suburb, to real estate investment firm Hulic is no ordinary transaction. Hulic is paying an estimated JPY30 billion ($381 million) for the asset but is...
Collins rescues Angus & Robertson
Book, Entertainment and Stationary vender REDGroup Retail is a blot on Australia’s private equity landscape. With Collins Booksellers agreeing to buy a number of its bankrupt rival’s Angus & Robertson (A&R) franchises, perhaps the blot can finally...
Tokyo Star goes back to Lone Star
LONE STAR FUNDS IS ONCE AGAIN TAKING ownership of Tokyo Star Bank, less than four years after selling the struggling commercial lender to private equity firm Advantage Partners (AP). Having failed to repay its debts, AP has reportedly agreed to give away...
Distressed bookseller REDgroup Retail urgently seeks buyer
Pacific Equity Partners’ REDgroup Retail, the owner bookstore chains Borders and Angus & Robertson now under administration, is “urgently” looking for a buyer in order to continue operations.
Lone Star to takeover Tokyo Star Bank from Advantage Partners
Lone Star, the US private equity firm specializing in the distressed investments, will reportedly take ownership of Tokyo Star bank from Tokyo-based private equity firm Advantage Partners (AP) and once again become the bank’s largest shareholder, owning...
mCapital goes on the hunt for distressed assets
MCAPITAL, THE NEWLY LAUNCHED FIRM led by former Merrill Lynch executive Mark Devonshire, has completed the $74 million first close of its mCapital European & Asian Special Situations Fund, coming more than two years after its fundraising process began.
Ex-Merrill Lynch exec Mark Devonshire receives $74m for distressed fund
mCapital, a special situations fund manager with operations in Europe and Asia, has raised EUR50 million ($74 million) of seed capital from LPs Advanced Capital and IMQubator.
Blackstone set to buy second distressed Oz property firm
Debt-burdened Australian real estate firm Valad Property Group is reportedly in talks with Blackstone for a possible buyout, according to The Australian, in a deal that could be worth A$220 million.
US firm launches Australasia-focused real estate fund
LA-based Jumpstart Capital Partners is to launch a PE real-estate focused unit that will initially target distressed and undervalued property-related investments in Australia and New Zealand.
Distressed in Australia on the rise for 2012-2013
Often unrecognized next to its buyout counterparts, a panel of leading Australian distressed investors are bullish on the prospects for a broad range of debt opportunities coming up in the next few years.
VIDEO: Clearwater Capital’s Robert Petty
To critics who question the true existence of Asia's distressed asset category, Clearwater Capital's Managing Director Robert Petty suggests "looking at the reality of the statistics."
The alternative perspective
Thanks to the global financial crisis, finding desirable special situation investments in Australia has been a less than arduous task. However, with economic conditions continuously improving down under, those closest to the asset class maintain that...