Sareb Curbs Marina d’Or Bankruptcy For 260 Homes

9 March 2016 – Economía Digital

Observers are adopting a wait-and-see policy regarding the final resolution of Comercializadora Mediterránea de Viviendas (Comervi), the development company behind Marina d’Or, owned by Jesús Ger, which filed for voluntary bankruptcy in Commercial Court 1 in Castellón in May 2014.

Everything depends on the decision to be taken by the judge regarding the purchase option submitted by Sareb, the main creditor of Comervi, for 260 homes in the holiday resort, distributed across several developments.

Only then will we know whether the negotiations will resume between the company and the two main creditors, the bad bank itself, chaired by Jaime Echegoyen and Banco Sabadell. The judge’s decision will determine the outcome of the two possible alternatives on offer: try to reach an agreement with the creditors or push ahead with the liquidation of the company.

Sareb and Banco Sabadell are the creditors

Comervi has accumulated financial debt amounting to €125 million. Most of this liability, around €80 million, relates to loans that Sareb received three years ago from Bankia, Banco de Valencia and the former Caixa Galicia.

Almost all of the debt that the construction company, owned by Jesús Ger, holds with Sabadell, around €16 million in total, comes from the loans it inherited from CAM, covered by the Asset Protection Scheme (EPA) that Sabadell received when it acquired the Alicante-based entity in December 2011. This coverage will absorb most of the losses until 2021, ten years after the date it was awarded.

The most indebted company in the Commuity of Valencia

Besides its financial debt, Comervi, the construction company responsible for building the facilities at the Marina d’Or holiday resort, took the honour of being named the Valencian firm that owed the most money to the Public Treasury – more than €46 million – according to the list that the Tax Authorities published at the end of December.

Comervi, which used to be called Construcciones Castellón 2000 and was then called Marina d’Or Loger, was constituted in 1983 by Jesús Ger, who at the time, sold electrical appliances, in order to benefit from the enormous opportunities offered by the construction of apartments on the Castellón coast.

The banks tried to avoid bankruptcy but Ger responded with a solution that was not viable for the creditors, with discounts of more than 50%, the long-term maturity of the remaining debt and even a request for liquidity to take on new projects.

Sareb and the banks said no and the businessman himself decided to file for voluntary bankruptcy for the company.

Original story: Economía Digital (by Juan Carlos Martínez)

Translation: Carmel Drake