Tag: bankruptcy proceedings

The Reuben Brothers Edge Ahead in the Bid for Santander’s Ciudad Financiera

22 October 2018 – Eje Prime

The Reuben brothers are in pole position in the race for Santander’s Ciudad Financiera. Their company, Reuben Brothers, has submitted the best offer for the headquarters that the Botín family’s bank owns in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid).

The other two companies bidding in the operation, which is reportedly worth around €3 billion, are AGC and Banco Santander itself. Those three players are the only ones that submitted bids for the Ciudad Financiera on Friday, the deadline for the submission of final offers.

The sale of Santander’s headquarters is part of the insolvency proceedings in which the former owner of the asset, Marme Inversiones, is immersed. The brothers Simon and David Reuben, with the support of JP Morgan, have sent the highest bid to the court, followed by AGC and Santander, according to Vozpópuli.

The envelopes are going to be opened between Wednesday and Thursday of this week, nevertheless, the sale could still be postponed for a little longer by the courts. Not in vain, the Santander Group claims that it has the right of first refusal in the operation, which means that it could improve on the offer that emerges victorious from the bid this week. Neither the Reuben Brothers nor AGC consider that the bank holds this option; they argue that this matter was already resolved during the bankruptcy proceedings.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Jesús Ger Starts Building Homes Again in Marina d’Or

24 May 2018 – Expansión

New homes are being built again in one of the major symbols of urban development along the Spanish coast: Marina d’Or. The developer and owner of a large proportion of the popular resort town of Oropesa (Castellón), Jesús Ger, has launched his first housing development, after more than a decade of paralysis due to the real estate crisis.

The new residential block will have 11 storeys and will house 286 apartments on one of the last remaining unbuilt plots on the beachfront of the tourist complex.

Nevertheless, the return to real estate activity has not materialised through the companies traditionally linked to Marina d’Or, but instead is being carried out by Inseryal, the property developer whose sole administrator is Sandra Rodrigues, the wife of Jesús Ger.

Inseryal has already started off-plan marketing of the homes in the so-called Edificio Miramar. The apartments, all of which are going to have two bedrooms in theory, will go on sale for upwards of €129,000 plus VAT. At those asking prices, the new block should generate revenues of at least €37 million for the property developer, which expects to complete this project in June 2020.

The first development in Marina d’Or since the crisis comes at the same time as the completion of the bankruptcy proceedings of Comervi, Ger’s main real estate company, which approved its creditors’ agreement a few weeks ago. The group became one of the most famous developers of holiday homes in Spain, with turnover of €345 million in 2007. Despite the debt, Ger has withstood the lean times thanks to the other branch of his business, tourist accommodation.

Original story: Expansión (by A.C.A.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Sareb Is Awarded The Kronos Building In Benidorm

26 April 2017 – Valencia Plaza

Sareb, also known as the “bad bank”, has taken ownership of one of the tallest skyscrapers in Benidorm (the fifth tallest to be precise), as well as in all of Spain. As such, Sareb currently has 136 homes up for sale of varying types and sizes in the Kronos building: from the 1st floor to the 38th. It is a 41-storey tower, which was conceived as a luxury residential property, where the building does not even occupy 20% of the plot. The remainder comprises common and recreation areas, including two swimming pools, one for adults and one for children, a gym, football pitch, padel and tennis court, as well as extensive green areas.

The building was constructed by the Valencian property developer Grupo García Ojeda, which dodged several bankruptcy proceedings as well as it could during the first few years of the crisis. Sareb rescued nine savings banks, including properties and loans to property developers. The second was the operation through which the “bad bank” was awarded the asset, according to Alicante Plaza, whose debt belonged to one of the companies in the Grupo García Ojeda. (…).

Construction of the property began in 2005 and although the keys were handed over three years later, most of the homes remained unsold a decade later. The asking prices are not the cheapest, according to real estate sources consulted. The apartments have 1, 2 and 3-bedrooms and the smallest properties are going for at least €97,176, according to Grupo Ferrer Albors Real State and Activium. The latter has also put up a sign on the side of the building to advertise the price of the 1-bedroom homes. Even so, the figures are well below those achieved before the crisis, despite the fact that these homes are new and have never actually been lived in.

Sareb’s interest in tall buildings in Benidorm is not unique to Kronos. It is also looking to take over In Tempo, the unfinished skyscraper, which, unless the judges make a ruling to the contrary, will be awarded to the bad bank, presumably, for its subsequent sale.

Original story: Valencia Plaza

Translation: Carmel Drake

Sareb & Olga Urbana’s Small Creditors Await “In Tempo” Court Ruling

2 December 2016 – El Mundo

The small creditors of Olga Urbana, the bankrupt property developer responsible for the In Tempo skyscraper in Benidorm, are continuing their battle with Sareb regarding the future of the controversial building.

As the company’s main creditor, the bad bank is looking to be awarded ownership of the iconic block and whereby recover some of the €100 million that it is owed by the development company; meanwhile, a group of creditors, comprising the construction company Kono; the former administrator of the bankrupt company, Isidro Bononat; the architect Robert Pérez Guerras, and the owners of one of the homes sold, Laura and María Pelayo, are trying to stop Sareb’s plans and avoid the entity from being first in line to collect its debt, given that such an arrangement would prevent them (and all of the other creditors) from recovering any funds.

Their objective is to force Sareb to get to be back of the queue when it comes to collecting its debt, given that the company was the administrator of Olga Urbana, and therefore, all of the business management duties lay with the bad bank.

Commercial Court number one in Alicante, which is instructing Olga Urbana’s bankruptcy proceedings, will have to take the final decision in this regard.

If the judge considers that Sareb was the administrator of Olga Urbana, then its loan will be classified as subordinated in the bankruptcy ranking, and therefore, Sareb would be one of the last entities to recover its funds. Furthermore, it would not be allowed to foreclose the property via the fast track, and so the small creditors would be able to recover their debts first; however, if the judge ends up ruling that Sareb was not the administrator of Olga Urbana, then the bad bank would have free rein to hold onto In Tempo (which has an appraisal value of €90 million), sell it and offset some of the liabilities that are currently weighing it down.

The conflict is now only pending the final ruling. The hearing was held at the end of October and the parties have presented their findings.

The small creditors insist that since the end of 2009, the construction work was supervised and led by Caixa Galicia (subsequently called Abanca) and then by Sareb (December 2012), when it took on a loan amounting to €103 million that Abanca had granted to Olga Urbana to build the tallest residential tower in Spain.

In parallel, Sareb has filed a claim against the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the existence of alleged irregularities in the management of Olga Urbana, citing that “economic harm” has been caused amounting to €23 million.

Sareb argues that, amongst the irregularities identified, it has found “alleged diversion of funds and company links between the owners and administrators of Olga Urbana and some of its own contractors and suppliers. (…).

Original story: El Mundo (by F. D. G.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Quonia Buys Hotel Internacional In Barcelona For €11.25M

19 July 2016 – La Vanguardia

(…). The Catalan Socimi Quonia, which debuted on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) on Monday, has acquired Hotel Internacional, located on Las Ramblas, 78-80, in Barcelona, for €11.25 million from the hotel group Husa, owned by the businessman Joan Gaspart.

In a statement, Quonia reported that the price includes the purchase of the property and its operating licence, and that the transaction has been advised by the firm Laborde Marcet. This hotel has a leasable surface area of 1,915 sqm; its upper floors are leased for hotel use, whilst its ground floor houses retail premises. The property was one of Husa’s last real estate assets in Barcelona, which is undergoing a major restructuring after emerging from complex bankruptcy proceedings.

Quonia debuted on the MAB on Monday at a price of €1.65 per share, which represents a market capitalisation for the company of €41.97 million. The Socimi holds a portfolio comprising properties leased for residential and commercial use located in Barcelona, Sevilla and Langreo (Asturias), with a total approximate gross leasable area (GLA) of 12,197 sqm, excluding one ground-level car park with 50 spaces and another underground car park with 93 spaces. (…).

Original story: La Vanguardia

Translation: Carmel Drake

Hotel Incosol Is Sold To A Spanish Hotel Group For €20M

26 February 2016 – El Mundo

The iconic Hotel Incosol in Marbella was sold on Tuesday (23 February 2016) to a Spanish hotel group and the consideration paid, more than €20 million, is thought to be sufficient for the workers to receive €2 million, according to reports from the lawyers advising the bankruptcy proceedings of the JALE group, which owns the hotel.

According to those sources, the buyers have also purchased the brand, and so it is clear that the intention is to revive the luxury establishment and benefit from the name that it has made for itself in health tourism since the 1970s. According to these sources, the banks – Sareb and Banco Sabadell – have ended up accepting a significant discount on the debt, which amounted to approx. €30 million in total.

The operation has been made possible, according to the sources, by the diligence of the judge of the Cádiz court, Manuel Ruiz de Lara, who authorised the bankruptcy administration to sell the hotel in its entirey (and not piecemeal) and for the money obtained to be paid to the bankruptcy creditors.

In any case, it is likely that a dispute will arise with the Social Security authorities, which will end up in the courts. Nevertheless, the money for the 158 workers seems to be guaranteed.

In fact, less than a year ago, the Social Security authorities opposed the sale of the hotel to a buyer, after negotiations had taken place with up to 40 different parties interested in acquiring the property. According to sources close to the bankruptcy proceedings, the debt with the Social Security amounted to around €5 million.

The Incosol Hotel was the last large asset left to be liquidated by the Cádiz group JALE, which is immersed in bankruptcy proceedings in which the owner, José Antonio López Esteras, has filed complaints to the previous bankruptcy administrators, as well as to the General Council of Judicial Power regarding the actions of the previous judge, Nuria Orellana.

Original story: El Mundo

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rayet Considers Diluting Its 29% Stake In Quabit

23 November 2015 – Expansión

The Rayet group is considering the possible dilution of its 29% stake in Quabit, given the difficulty it is facing vis-à-vis the real estate company’s capital increase. Rayet has just won the support of its creditors to exit from bankruptcy proceedings.

Original story: Expansión

Translation: Carmel Drake