Tag: Josep Oliu

Sabadell To Release 800 New Homes Onto The Market

27 July 2015 – Expansión

The improved outlook regarding the performance of the Spanish economy is reflected in the real estate market, where prices are stabilising and even increasing in certain areas of Madrid and Barcelona. And the stocks of newly constructed homes are drying up in some towns, due to a lack of new developments in recent years.

Against this background, cranes are returning to the domestic landscape and banks are taking on a new role in the market for real estate development, as they aim to generate returns from the land and half-finished construction projects that they foreclosed in exchange for debt payments. And Sabadell is playing a very active role. It will release 800 homes onto the market over the coming months.

The bank led by Josep Oliu is currently developing eleven of its own real estate urbanisations, most of which are located in Barcelona, Andalucía and Levante, but also in País Vasco and Asturias. The construction work will be completed during the remainder of 2015 and 2016, and will culminate in the release of more than 400 homes – flats and houses – onto the market, over several stages, with some of the properties already being sold.

Beside these developments, which spread across the country and whose degree of completion ranges between 15% and 100%, three other new developments will be started after the summer in Madrid – in the towns of Colmenar Viejo and Alcalá de Henares – and Levante. Once finished, these urbanisations will contain approximately 400 homes.

During the first half of 2015, 46% of Sabadell’s property sales were made in cash, whilst 37% were financed by the bank and the remaining 17% were funded using loans from other entities. In fact, the Catalan bank is offering buyers both variable rate and fixed rate mortgages – at Euribor plus 1.6% and 2.9%, respectively.

The entity’s real estate and mortgage offer is in line with those of other banks such as Santander and BBVA, which are developing 600 different urbanisations at the moment, as well as with that of Sareb, which will release 1,200 homes onto the market during the remainder of 2015, in some of the 30 developments that it completed last year and the 42 that it currently has on-going.

Signs of recovery

After an intense and long-lasting period adjustment, both in terms of activity and prices following the burst of the real estate bubble, the sector is now showing clear signs of recovery, to the extent that foreign funds have also entered the sector for the development of homes. But, is there a risk of excess supply?

Residential development is likely to grow over the next few years, says Javier López Torres, the partner responsible for the real estate sector at KPMG in Spain. And there is still room for more new builds without any risk of a new real estate bubble, says an expert from Andbank, Rocío Ledesma. And Sabadell wants to maximise the opportunities in the market through its development company Solvia.

Solvia is dedicated not only to the development of urbanisations owned by the bank, it also works for third parties. It is a servicer with assets under management amounting to €28,000 million, and it offers services ranging from the management of loan portfolios, to the development of land, as well as the management and administration of assets. In fact, Sareb awarded its first asset management contract to Solvia.

Original story: Expansión (by Alicia Crespo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Reale Finalises Purchase Of Sabadell’s HQ In Madrid

11 June 2015 – El Confidencial

The building at number 125, Calle Príncipe de Vergara, one of the most important thoroughfares in Madrid, is about to change hands. Sabadell opened a competitive process for the sale, which is about to come to an end, with Reale as the favourite to seal the deal.

The insurance company, which is being advised by Inmospace, has submitted a bid for more than €45 million, compared with the asking price of €40 million that was set at the beginning of the process. This figure virtually makes Realia the sure-fire winner in a deal that has attracted interest from up to eight bidders, according to sources close the deal.

The other interested parties include other insurance companies, such as Plus Ultra, although, unless there is a last minute surprise, Reale will end up signing the definitive agreement with Sabadell within the next two or three weeks.

This timetable matches the one being managed by the Catalan entity for its relocation to a new headquarters in Las Tablas, a process that will begin in July and will be carried out in several stages, in a phased way. Once completed, Reale will establish its new headquarters in Príncipe de Vergara.

(…)

Solvia transaction

Solvia, the real estate subsidiary of the Catalan entity, has led this whole process, which has not required any external advisors. It has culminated in the reorganisation of the properties and headquarters that the bank has carried out recently.

Last year, Sabadell was one of the major players in the real estate office market in Madrid, thanks to the sale of Vodafone’s new headquarters, an office complex measuring 50,000 m2, to the British fund London & Regional for €117 million and with the commitment of the telecommunications operator to continue as the tenant.

In parallel, the entity reached an agreement with Vodafone to acquire its former headquarters, located in the neighbourhood of Las Tablas, an area in which firms such as Telefónica, BBVA and FCC have also chosen to locate their headquarters. This move, which many industry experts viewed very positively, was also orchestrated by Solvia, the real estate company led by Javier García del Río.

With capacity for 1,500 people, all of Sabadell’s central services will move to this new headquarters in the North of Madrid, with exception of its territorial operations, which will remain in Calle Velázquez, and its private banking division, which will continue in Calle Serrano. The Presidency will also remain in Calle Serrano, which accommodates both the Chairman, Josep Oliu, and the CEO, Jaime Guardiola, when they are in the capital.

Original story: El Confidencial (by Ruth Ugalde)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Sabadell Places €750M 5-Yr Debt Issue At 0.475%

1 June 2015 – Expansión

€750 million debt issue / The bank has placed an issue of 5-year mortgage bonds with a record low yield of 0.475%.

For many financial institutions, the excess liquidity in the market is offsetting the recent increase in volatility that has resulted from the lack of agreement between Brussels and Greece. As a result, debt issues are proving successful.

Friday’s operation by Sabadell is a good example. Just 24 hours after the bank held its AGM, it went to the market in search of financing through the issue of 5-year mortgage bonds, arranged by Barclays, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Lloyds. It paid a yield of 0.475%, which represents the lowest ever interest rate on a bond issue. Moreover, spreads, or differentials, are returning to pre-crisis levels, given that this yield sits just 12 basis points above the mid-swap rate (the reference rate for fixed rate issues).

“The primary international investors have all taken part in this operation and the participation rate in Germany has been particularly noteworthy. The main investors participating in the issue have been financial institutions, central banks, investment fund managers, insurance companies and pension funds”, said the entity in a statement on Friday.

Balance sheet

Sabadell has been particularly active in the market for this type of issue. Since November last year, it has completed four such transactions, raising €3,100 million in total. “The solvency of Banco Sabadell and its reputation on the international financial markets have undoubtedly been the factors that have contributed to the success of this placement”, it added. The bank wants to take advantage of the decreasing financing costs caused by the recent stimulus measures put in place by the European Central Bank (ECB). “The release of this issue will take place on 10 June and its launch forms part of Banco Sabadell’s non-equity security program, filed with the CNMV”, explain sources at the bank.

In September last year, the financial institution launched a covered bond (the term used for bonds in Europe) purchase program. In total, it has acquired €82,805 million. Moreover, it put in place a securitisation purchase program at the end of last year, and as a result it will close the first transaction involving Spanish mortgages since 2007, with UCI, which is owned by Santander and BNP Paribas. And in March this year, it started to purchase government debt, which has significantly reduced its financing costs.

Improved credit

As a result, credit is being revived once more, which is the main objective of the ECB. In this regard, Josep Oliu, Chairman of Sabadell (pictured above), said at the entity’s AGM last Thursday, that the strong level of competition in the financial markets to secure credit in the context of excess liquidity, represents a threat to the recovery of the banks’ financial results.

Original story: Expansión (by D. Badía)

Translation: Carmel Drake