PEI Staff

Swiss firm Private Equity Holding has reported its first quarterly gain in two years following the disposal of part of its portfolio to CSFB.

The creditors of insolvent German media group KirchMedia have accepted Haim Saban’s E525m offer for the group’s ProSieben TV unit.

The French bank has raised E187m for Leveraged Finance Europe Capital II, a collateralised loan obligation fund that will invest in senior and mezzanine debt used in European LBOs.

The Milan-based private equity firm has acquired Pilosio SpA, a producer of equipment for the construction industry.

Michael Gross of New York's Apollo Management reviews current trends in the distressed investment arena and the challenges lying ahead for private equity.

The Italian private equity group launched last year has secured commitments from five new investors as it continues a E150m fundraising effort.

Gregory Crookes takes a look at the legal implications of negotiating break fees in public-to-private transactions in The Netherlands, where neither regulators nor legislators have yet taken a view on their use.

Big is beautiful, and mezzanine is clearly in vogue. Until recently, the largest dedicated mezzanine fund ever raised was DLJ Investment Partners II, a $1.6bn vehicle organised in 1999. Then came Goldman Sachs, closing GS Mezzanine Partners III on $2.7bn. We spoke to Robin Doumar, a managing director of GS Mezzanine Partners in London, about the group's plans for the fund and their take on current mezzanine investment trends on either side of the Atlantic.

David Rubenstein of The Carlyle Group and Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman are pioneers of the multi-strategy private equity investment model. When the two met in New York to compare notes on how to run a global alternative investment business, David Snow looked over their shoulders.

It takes considerable skill and expertise to establish a successful fund investment operation dedicated t to private equity, i although being in the right place at the right time helps as well. Jens Bisgaard-Frantzen leads the team of private equity investment professionals at ATP Private Equity Partners: they have the experience and the money to make an impact. Philip Borel finds out how this recent arrival in the LP big league came about, and how it is advancing.