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| Loans in respect of Lanyon Plaza a 15-storey mixed use building in Belafast, developed by Ewart Properties, are believed to be in the portfolio.
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National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), the
Irish State's toxic property loans agency, announced this morning that based on
the recommendation of its adviser, Lazard, it has sold the Project Eagle
portfolio of loans to affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (Cerberus)
of the United States. The portfolio consists of loans owned by Northern
Ireland-based debtors and secured by assets in Northern Ireland, the Republic,
Great Britain and other European locations. The portfolio has a par value
of £4.5bn (€5.4bn).
NAMA said the terms of transaction are
commercially sensitive and are not being disclosed.
This transaction represents the largest single transaction by NAMA to date. It
follows an extensive and competitive sales process involving bidders from Europe
and the United States.
NAMA is reported to have paid £1.1bn (€1.3bn) for
a package of loans linked solely to assets and development in Northern Ireland
which has formed part of the Project Eagle package.
Commenting on the transaction,
Frank Daly, NAMA chairman, and Brendan McDonagh, NAMA
CEO, said: “This transaction represents a significant achievement for
NAMA. It is NAMA’s biggest single transaction to date and we are satisfied that
the sales process will deliver the best possible result for the Irish taxpayer.
NAMA management of this portfolio has been measured and supportive taking into
consideration the particular circumstances in the Northern Ireland economy. We
are assured by Cerberus that they will adopt a similar approach.J
ohn W. Snow, chairman of Cerberus Capital Management
and former US Treasury secretary, said: "We are excited and gratified
to reach agreement on this significant, mutually beneficial transaction with
NAMA. This investment, and the underlying assets in Ireland and other European
markets, will be an important foundation for our overall European strategy.
Cerberus is a patient, long-term investor and has a well-established track
record of making significant improvements to the assets that it manages. We
believe Cerberus has the ideal base of expertise and experience to manage the
Eagle portfolio and will be a strong partner for NAMA, for Northern Ireland and
for all the stakeholders associated with this transaction.”
