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7 November 2017 – Expansión
The investment fund SVP Global has reached an agreement with Sareb to buy the defaulted debt associated with the In Tempo skyscraper, the largest residential building in Benidorm. According to financial sources consulted, SVP Global has purchased a package of debt worth around €110 million, secured by the second tallest residential property in the EU, whose property developer, Olga Urbana, has filed for creditors’ bankruptcy.
It is one of the largest debt operations associated with a single real estate asset in Spain. SVP Global is a fund specialising in this type of operation and has around $6,900 million under management through its various vehicles. The In Tempo building is an unfinished project (although more than 90% of the construction work has been completed) measuring 192m tall and containing 47 floors for residential use.
The construction of In Tempo has given rise to a long-standing legal dispute. After launching the development of the tallest residential property in Europe in 2006, its property developer Olga Urbana had planned to finish the work in the middle of 2009. But, with the outbreak of the real estate crisis, the building work ended up being subjected to continuous delays and obstacles due to problems with the construction companies and suppliers. Although the construction work continued, in a fashion, under the control of Caixa Galicia, which financed the development with a €100 million loan, the financial crisis put an end to the construction work, which was never finished.
In 2012, the loan from the former savings back was transferred to Sareb, which at the end of 2014 and in the absence of an agreement between Olga Urbana’s shareholders, decided to enforce the creditors’ bankruptcy, with a total debt of €137 million. As part of that process, the judge approved the auction of the almost-finished building with a value of just over €90 million. Nevertheless, the offers were very low and so Sareb decided to exercise its preferential right to take ownership of the property.
Original story: Expansión (by C. Morán and A. C. Álvarez)
Translation: Carmel Drake