STAMFORD, CONN. — A consortium consisting of Anbang Insurance Group Co., J.C. Flowers & Co. and Primavera Capital Limited has increased its bid to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) to $82.75 in cash per share of Starwood common stock from the previous non-binding proposal of $81 per share bid, which was made on March 26. Starwood’s board of directors has concluded that this revised, non-binding proposal from the consortium is a superior proposal as defined in Starwood’s merger agreement with Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), according to a press release issued Monday by Starwood. The new proposal is valued at $14 billion versus Marriott’s previous offer of $13.6 billion. The Starwood board, in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, will carefully consider the outcome of the discussion with the consortium in order to determine the course of action that is in the best interest of Starwood and its stockholders, the news release stated. Under the terms of the consortium’s current revised proposal, the consortium will acquire all the outstanding shares of common stock of Starwood for $82.75 per share in cash, an increase of $4.75 per share from its initial binding proposal of $78 per share …
BETHESDA, MD. — Bethesda-based Finmarc Management Inc. has purchased a 26-building portfolio from First Potomac Realty Trust (NYSE: FPO) for $96 million. The portfolio spans 950,000 square feet of office, flex and warehouse space in Northern Virginia. The properties purchased include Enterprise Center in Chantilly; Gateway Centre Manassas, Linden Business Center and Windsor at Battlefield in Manassas; Herndon Corporate Center and Van Buren Office Park in Herndon; Prosperity Business Center in Merrifield; and Reston Business Campus in Reston. The portfolio is approximately 78 percent leased to more than 70 tenants, including the General Services Administration, Fairfax County, McLean Bible Church, American Public University System, Lenox Industries and U.S. Home Corp. “The sale of the northern Virginia non-core portfolio represents continued execution of our plan to dispose of $350 million of assets,” says Robert Milkovich, CEO of First Potomac Realty Trust. “The proceeds will be utilized to redeem a portion of our outstanding preferred shares, as we work to strengthen our balance sheet and improve our liquidity.” James Meisel and Bruce Strasburg of HFF represented First Potomac in the transaction. Joseph Hoffman and Aaron Rosenfeld of the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP represented Finmarc. First Potomac Realty Trust is …
We can expect to see a combination of new and familiar trends in the Milwaukee apartment sector in 2016 that will continue to attract investors to the local apartment market. What makes the start of 2016 different from 2015 is progress toward the normalization of monetary policy. In December, the Federal Reserve Board decided to raise the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point, the first such increase in nearly a decade. The Federal Reserve Board’s widening may have an impact on the short-term rates, but the long-term interest rates that impact real estate values the most are influenced by the yields on the long-term U.S. Treasury bonds. We expect the long-term interest rates to stay low for the foreseeable future. When there is high demand for the Treasury bonds, the price of the bonds increase and the yields decrease, keeping long-term lending rates low. The two factors responsible for driving rates down in early 2016 are the high levels of volatility in stock markets around the globe and the drastic drop in oil prices. The volatility in the stock markets drives global capital to flow into the safe haven of bonds, and specifically the U.S. Treasury bonds, as …
BUFFALO, N.Y. AND CLEVELAND — Shareholders of First Niagara Financial Group (NASDAQ: FNFG) and KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) have overwhelmingly approved the proposed merger between the two financial giants. The votes were held today at special meetings in each of the companies’ headquarters — Buffalo for First Niagara and Cleveland for KeyCorp. Over 90 percent of shareholders who voted approved of the merger. Shareholders who did not participate counted as “no” votes, but even with those accounted for, approximately 75 percent voted in favor of the merger, according to The Buffalo News. The deal totals $3.5 billion and is structured as KeyCorp acquiring First Niagara, The News reported. “I would like to thank our shareholders for their support and their vote of confidence,” says Beth Mooney, chairman and CEO of KeyCorp. “KeyBank and First Niagara are indeed better together — a powerful combination that will bring a new level of capabilities and expertise to our clients, new opportunities for our employees, and even greater investment in our communities.” KeyCorp and First Niagara entered into a merger agreement on Oct. 30, 2015. The merger is still subject to regulatory approvals. Closing is expected during the third quarter of this year. KeyCorp is …
NORTH BAY VILLAGE, FLA. — Owens Realty Mortgage Inc. (NYSE: ORM) has agreed to sell Treasures on the Bay, a multifamily community located in North Bay Village, to an undisclosed buyer for $82 million. Owens Realty Mortgage owns an 81 percent interest in the property, with the company’s manager, Owens Financial Group Inc., owning the remaining 19 percent. The property, located approximately 10 miles away from Miami in North Bay Village, is comprised of 169 condominium units and 160 apartment units. The community offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 925 to 1,289 square feet. Unit amenities include ceramic tile kitchens and baths, European-style cabinetry, hurricane-resistant windows and sliding glass doors, marble counter-tops and floor-to-ceiling tinted glass. Community amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, bayfront boardwalk, controlled access, surface parking, two bayfront pools and wireless hot spots. “We are very pleased to put this property into contract,” says Bryan Draper, CEO of Owens Realty. “We recently completed substantial improvements to this property, further enhancing the company’s book value, and expect this sale will unlock significant embedded equity and provide cash for continued expansion of our lending operations and reduce our overall levels of debt.” A $21.3 million loan was …
STAMFORD, CONN. — Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) has increased its bid to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) to $13.6 billion. Marriott had previously offered $12.2 billion to acquire the hospitality company, which owns the Westin, St. Regis, Sheraton and W hotel brands, before being outbid by Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group at $13.2 billion. The new Marriott offer values Starwood at $79.53 per share, topping Anbang’s offer of $78 per share. Marriott’s initial offer in November would’ve given shareholders 0.92 share of Marriott stock and $2 cash for each share of Starwood they own. The new offer will give shareholders less Marriott stock — 0.8 share — but considerably more cash at $21 per share, according to The New York Times. Under the new agreement, the “break-up fee” — what Starwood will have to pay Marriott if it backs out of the deal — has been increased from $400 million to $450 million. On a conference call this morning, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson noted that Anbang could still make another offer to disrupt the deal, according to Hotel News Now. The Starwood and Marriott shareholders are both scheduled to vote April 8 on which proposal to accept. “We are pleased that …
LAS VEGAS — A joint venture between CityCenter Holdings LLC, Invesco Real Estate (NYSE: IVZ) and Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) has agreed to acquire The Shops at Crystals in Las Vegas from an undisclosed seller for approximately $1.1 billion. CityCenter Holdings LLC is itself a joint venture between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Infinity World Development Corp. The Shop at Crystals is located at the entryway of City Center in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. City Center is a mixed-use development that includes ARIA Resort & Casino, a 4,004-room casino resort; Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, a 392-room boutique hotel with 225 luxury condominium residences; Crystals, a retail and entertainment district consisting of approximately 355,000 square feet of leasable retail space; Vdara Hotel and Spa, a 1,495-room luxury hotel-condominium; and the Veer Towers, which contain 669 luxury condominium residences. The transaction to acquire the 324,000-square-foot shopping center is expected to close in the second quarter of this year. “This transaction demonstrates the strength in Las Vegas as a premier destination for visitors around the world,” says Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. “We believe that Invesco Real Estate and Simon Property Group are the …
STAMFORD, CONN. — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. is considering terminating its planned acquisition by Marriott in light of a new offer from a Chinese-led joint venture. Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group is leading the new offer of $13.2 billion, which includes investment from J.C. Flowers & Co. and Primavera Capital Limited. The joint venture is collectively known as Anbang Consortium. Starwood, which is based in Stamford, said that the Anbang bid is a superior proposal to the price tag that Marriott agreed to pay in November. Marriott’s cash-and-stock proposal was valued at $68.06 per share, or $13.06 billion as of Thursday’s closing price, according to The Wall Street Journal. Anbang Consortium would pay $78 per share, an increase from the $76 per share proposal it made on March 10. Click here to read the details on the initial Marriott offer. Marriott has until March 28 to make a counter offer to Starwood, and has stated that it “continues to believe that a combination of Marriott and Starwood is the best course for both companies and offers the best value to Starwood shareholders.” Under the terms of the original merger agreement, Starwood, which owns the Westin, St. Regis, Sheraton and W hotel …
SUNNYVALE, CALIF. — Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has entered into a purchase agreement to buy eight office buildings in Silicon Valley from NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) for $250 million, according to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 9. The tech companies amended the filing on March 11. NetApp plans to lease back an unspecified portion of the office footprint from Google, according to the filing. The office properties, located in Sunnyvale in Santa Clara County, include the following: • 1299 Orleans Drive (46,170 square feet) • 1277 Orleans Drive (42,624 square feet) • 1260 Crossman Ave. (95,464 square feet) • 1240 Crossman Ave. (125,648 square feet) • 549 Baltic Way (110,160 square feet) • 641 Baltic Way (88,320 square feet) • 611 Baltic Way (43,372 square feet) • 633 Caribbean Drive (43,372 square feet) According to the filing, the sale is expected to close prior to April 12, 2016, and in no circumstance later than April 22. NetApp, a data storage management provider and servicer, recently announced it would cut roughly 12 percent of its workforce, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal. NetApp currently has more than 12,000 employees in more than 150 offices worldwide. …
CHICAGO — Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group Co. has agreed to purchase Strategic Hotels & Resorts, which owns 16 hotels throughout the U.S. Several news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, report the purchase price as $6.5 billion, citing anonymous sources involved in the not-yet-announced deal. Anbang is purchasing the portfolio from Blackstone Group, which acquired Strategic Hotels about three months ago. The Chinese insurer is paying about $450 million more than Blackstone paid for the assets. Properties under the Chicago-based Strategic Hotels & Resorts flag include the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City; the Montage in Laguna Beach, Calif ; the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego; Ritz Carlton properties in Moon Bay and Laguna Niguel, Calif.; InterContinental hotels in Chicago and Miami; and Four Seasons hotels in Washington, Austin, Texas, and Silicon Valley, Calif. Anbang purchased the famed Waldorf-Astoria in New York from Hilton Worldwide Holdings for nearly $2 billion in late 2014. The acquisition was one of the highest price-per-room hotel transactions ever, according to Fortune magazine. Anbang also submitted a $12.8 billion bid to takeover Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which could disrupt a pending deal with Marriott International. The consortium offered to pay an …