COSTA MESA, CALIF. — Costa Mesa-based shopping center developer Donahue Schriber has successfully completed the final piece of a $1.2 billion balance sheet recapitalization, which occurred through several transactions. The final deal was a $365 million refinance with a bank syndicate led by Bank of America and also included Wells Fargo Bank, U.S. Bank, PNC Bank, Union Bank and City National Bank.
“The recapitalization was the culmination of digging out from the ‘Great Recession,’” says Patrick S. Donahue, president & CEO of Donahue Schriber. “Like many others in the industry we were affected greatly but were able to weather the storm. So after we came through, we made a list of what we needed. We looked at our debt, where our maturities were too short and our covenants too restricted, and we also needed to convert stock and develop growth capital.”
The refinance covers a portfolio of 31 of Donahue Schriber Realty Group’s assets. The new financing has a term of five years with a built-in option for a two-year extension, a lower interest rate and eliminates many of those restrictive covenants Donahue refers to.
Countryside Marketplace is a 724,000 square-foot Donahue Schriber shopping center in Menifee, CA anchored by Super Target, Kohl's, Lowe's and Best Buy.
Utilizing assistance from Chatham Financial, the company also locked in a LIBOR swap of $255 million as a hedge against potential rising interest rates. That transaction results in an annual interest savings in excess of $6 million. Craig Zarro of Preferred Capital Advisors based in Sacramento, California, served as advisor on behalf of Donahue Schriber.
In addition, the company’s major investors, the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System and the J.P. Morgan Chase Bank Strategic Property Fund, converted their $188 million of preferred stock and accrued dividends into shares of common stock. They have also committed to provide the company $100 million of additional common capital for future growth opportunities. Finally, the recapitalization is rounded out by the $248.55 million, 10-property refinance with Allstate Life Insurance Company that closed May 31, 2011.
“We felt the market was prime to manage debts for our properties, and we’re not sure how long that is going to stay open,” Donahue says. “You have to figure out how you make something of this and go forward in a better model. So we swapped parts of both of those loans and locked in interest rates for 5 to 7 years.”
Donahue described the recapitalization as one of the most important events in the Company’s 42-year history. Structured as a private REIT, the firm owns and/or operates a portfolio of 81 neighborhood, community, community lifestyle and power shopping centers encompassing more than 12 million square feet throughout California, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon.
“I think this provides us with a competitive advantage for the next two to three years. Our goal is to continue to look for neighborhood, community and power centers in strong markets with properties where we can add value, and we hope to expand our geographic reach to the Pacific Northwest,” says Donahue. “We’d like to have 10 percent of our portfolio up in Oregon and Washington in the next three years. We’ll also continue on development pipeline that we have, but that will be market driven, not capital driven.”
— Dan Marcec