News & Analysis

A survey has found that 25 percent of European investors are considering cutting their exposure to real estate funds in the short-term, yet investors are also planning to increase their exposure to opportunity funds.

Boca Raton, Florida-based private equity firm Sun Capital Partners has acquired value-priced retailer Gordmans, which counts 65 stores in the Midwestern US.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has hired Makram Azar, former global head of sovereign wealth funds at Lehman Brothers. Azar will lead its push into the Middle East and North Africa, setting up KKR's first office in the region.

The publicly listed private equity firm has said the fall in its share price Tuesday was probably due to an unnamed financial institution being forced to unwind a Eurazeo securities-backed loan, to which Lehman was the counterparty.

The ability of insurer AIG, which was today bailed out by the US government, to seek liquidity through the sale of its asset management arm will be slowed by US government ownership, by the scope of the firm’s operations, and because the firm manages AIG balance sheet capital as well as client funds.

The selection of John Koskinen to lead the seized mortgage giant brings to three the number of private equity pros asked this month to head up troubled financial services companies.

Valued by regulators at £1.8bn, the sale of the UK airport could fetch as much as £3bn for the Spanish airport investor. The announcement came less than a month after the UK’s Competition Commission published preliminary plans to force BAA to sell three of its seven airports.

A halt in share trading yesterday in Central and Eastern developer Orco has prompted the company to deny it has funding problems. It also blamed short sellers for the fall in its share price.

Indian real estate investment firm Trikona Capital is selling a third portfolio to a German fund manager with $21 billion under management.

The Connecticut-based investment management firm has appointed the former CBRE and GE professional as its new chief financial officer. Angerthal spent nine years with various GE units, including GE Real Estate and GE Capital Corp.