Private equity's record sell-off helped by equity markets ‎info

Private equity's record sell-off helped by equity markets ‎info

Fund mangers may claim to hate private equity, but so far this quarter they have helped the industry sell a record number of assets by tapping equity markets.

Buyout firms have sold 201 stakes valued at $85bn (£52.5bn) so far this quarter, 5pc higher than the record established in the last three months of 2010, according to research firm Preqin.

European firms were most aggressive with 82 sales valued at $57.9bn - double the previous quarter's $28.6bn - driven by companies gearing up for the first major round of fund raising since the financial crisis.

Montagu completed the fund raising for its latest fund hitting its €2.5bn (£2.2bn) target and last month BC Partners said investors had committed €4bn – a third more than it expected – at the close of the first round in a fund aimed at reaching €6bn. Rivals Apax and Cinven are also informally tapping up investors as buy-out groups across Europe look to raise a total of $44bn for 47 funds.

Such fundraisings depend on firms demonstrating a strong track record of high returns.

"Capital is increasingly being returned to investors, and this will be committed to new funds if investors intend to maintain their current allocation levels," said Manuel Carvalho at Preqin. Read More

Best Standard Life warning over private equity sector returns ‎

Best Standard Life warning over private equity sector returns ‎

RETURNS from private equity will be more muted in future because banks are less willing to lend to the sector, Standard Life Investments’ Paul McKellar has warned.

Mr McKellar, manager of Standard Life European Private Equity Trust, said: “We have got higher equity contributions and lower debt going into the deals.

“It is a question of what managers do with their deals.

“We are going to see lower internal rates of return .

“People are likely to hold the deals for longer and that has been true... Read More

Private Equity World Latin America 2011 Vision

Private Equity World Latin America 2011 Vision

Private Equity World Latin America is a two-day conference for investors and C-level directors of Latin American private equity funds. Leading fund managers, investors and operators will to gather to do business, be inspired and identify future partners in the region’s established and emerging sectors; including: infrastructure, mining, power, oil & gas, agriculture, real estate, technology and consumer goods.

Private Equity World Latin America focus:

• Fund structures
• Extracting value from portfolio companies
• Committing capital
• Mezzanine & P.I.P.E finance
• Political risk
• Valuation
• IPOs, M & A
• VCs

Read about  Private Equity World Latin America 2011 Vision

best shared equity mortgage uk 2011

best shared equity mortgage uk 2011

Shared Ownership Mortgage

These type of mortgage scheme are popular with first-time buyers because they only need to find a fraction of the deposit ( 100% mortgages are available, however the last lender to offer 100% has announced that as of the 28/08/2008 they will be withdrawing from the 100% shared ownership market) and mortgage amount needed to buy a similar property on the open market. --- READ MORE

What is a mortgage?

A mortgage is a loan you take out to buy a property. Mortgages are provided both by banks and building societies, and by specialist mortgage lenders. Taking out a mortgage is one of the biggest financial commitments you’ll ever make. However, it needn’t be a terrifying one. We have mortgage information guides, mortgage glossary, tools and news updates to help you find the right mortgage. --- READ MORE

Compare Shared Ownership Mortgages

Compare the best shared ownership mortgages available in the UK and find the right deal for your new mortgage in minutes. We make it simple to search and compare the mortgage interest rates available for shared ownership homes whether or not you are a first time buyer. --- READ MORE

Shared Equity Schemes UK : First Rung To Property Ladder

Shared Equity in the UK is undergoing a mini revival. It is the basis for the Government's new FirstBuy scheme announced in March 2011 and starting in September 2011. New home builders will be offering the scheme so you can approach them (through the likes of www.SmartNewHomes.com) and your local HomeBuy agent. You will only need 5% deposit, but beware that if the property goes down in value by 5% it will be YOUR deposit that is eroded. This scheme is only applicable to new homes - lovely but rather more expensive than 'second hand' ones. You will put down 5% deposit, take out a shared equity mortgage for 75 or 80% and then the remainder will be finded by a shared equity loan of up to 20%. The shared equity loan is repayable on the sale of the property along with 20% of any increase in value of the property. No interest is charged on the shared equity loan for the first 5 years, and a low interest rate is charged thereafter( it starts at 1.75% over the rate of inflation. --- READ MORE

Shared ownership mortgage from Leeds BS

A shared ownership mortgage product designed with first time buyers in mind has been launched by Leeds building society. Available up to a 95% borrower share, the deal is on a fixed rate and has maximum loan to value of 75%. Head of intermediary sales at Leeds, Phil Coombes, commented, saying briefly that the products address the difficulties that first time buyers can face. He went on to say that shared ownership is a good starting point to full home ownership, especially if earning potential increases. The new product is ideal for those clients who have saved for a deposit but are unable to secure funding with a traditional mortgage product. --- READ MORE

equity fund and bank 2011 Iraq

equity fund and bank 2011 Iraq

Trade Bank of Iraq to Launch Private Equity Fund

The state-run Trade Bank of Iraq plans to set up a $500 million private-equity fund to invest in projects in the country, and will next month look to identify a global player to act as the fund’s general partner, according to a report from Reuters. Hussein Al-Uzri, president and chairman of the bank, said it aims to launch the private-equity fund this year, which will invest in medium-sized projects in industries including oil services, power and hotels. The bank also plans to open branches this year in London and Beirut, and eventually aims to open offices in North America, east Asia, and possibly China, as Iraq attempts to attract investment to fund its rebuilding. --- READ MORE

Trade Bank of Iraq to launch private equity fund

“Iraq will need major investment in infrastructure — in housing, oil, power, and so this will need capital investment into the country, and we are counting on the private sector, both Iraqi and foreign, to participate,” Uzri said in an interview. Iraq expects private investment to triple to $30 billion this year, a senior government official told Reuters last month. [ID:nLDE7101VD] Overall, Iraq needs $600 billion of investment to rebuild, according to the National Investment Commission. --- READ MORE

INTERVIEW-Trade Bank of Iraq to launch private equity fund

Trade Bank of Iraq has been widening its product offerings beyond trade finance and plans to add eight domestic branches this year to its current 15, Uzri said. The bank had $15 billion in assets at the end of 2010, a level it aims to expand by about 15 percent this year. It earned net profit of $386 million last year, and is looking to grow that by about 20 percent in the current year. --- READ MORE

All Saints saved by private equity pair 2011

All Saints saved by private equity pair 2011

All Saints has been acquired by private equity firms Lion Capital and Goode Partners in a deal that has been pegged at around £100m. All Saints, the fashion chain, was forced into auction by Ernst and Young, administrators to its primary shareholders, failed Icelandic banks Kaupthing and Glitnir. --- READ MORE

Private Equity Review

Wharton Private Equity Review: The Storm Clouds Begin to Clear ; Private equity investors saw record yearly earnings in the boom years of 2005 to 2008 as easy access to financing led to ever-larger leveraged deals. Then it all came to a halt with the global financial meltdown. In 2009, PE firms with reasonable liquidity weathered a tough year as many put their portfolio companies through rigorous restructurings. --- READ MORE

Private equity firms team up to save AllSaints

Private equity firms Lion Capital and Goode Partners have reached an agreement to buy struggling British fashion brand AllSaints Spitalfields for an undisclosed sum, they...READ MEORE