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3 April 2017 – Idealista
The loan management firm Cabot has purchased Project McLaren from the US fund Lone Star. The portfolio contains more than 1,000 non-performing mortgages worth €102 million and more than 600 homes with a combined appraisal value of €51 million, according to financial sources consulted by Idealista. The properties that secure the mortgages and the homes are primarily located in Madrid, Andalucía, Cataluña and the Community of Valencia.
Cabot, together with Link Finanzas, were the two firms that initially expressed interest in this portfolio, but in the end, the former has acquired the project for an amount that has not been disclosed.
On the basis of their appraisal values, the properties that secure the mortgages are located primarily in Andalucía (21%), Cataluña (21%), Madrid (15%), the Community of Valencia (12%) and the Canary Islands (10%). In terms of the portfolio of homes, they are primarily located in Andalucía (26%), Cataluña (21%), Madrid (12%) and the Community of Valencia (11%).
Lone Star has become one of the most active funds in the Spanish real estate market. Following its purchase of the real estate company Neinor from Kutxabank for €930 million, the fund now wants to become the largest property developer in the country. Neinor Homes debuted on the stock market last month.
Another important operation was Cabot’s purchase, together with JP Morgan, of a package of real estate loans from Commerzbank worth €4,400 million. That portfolio contained loans secured by high-quality assets such as the Zielo Shopping Centre in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) and the MN4 Shopping Centre in Valencia, as well as the Ritz and Gran Meliá Fénix hotels.
Meanwhile, Cabot Credit Management is the largest manager of unpaid debt in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2015, together with the fund Elliot Asesores, it acquired the platform Paratus, which specialises in the management of problem assets. Since last year, it has also owned Gesif, another platform specialising in debt management and investments in portfolios of problem loans in Spain. (…).
Original story: Idealista (by P. Martínez-Almeida)
Translation: Carmel Drake