CHICAGO — Slate Asset Management LP has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the commercial real estate business of Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY) for $2.3 billion. The transaction includes Annaly’s equity interests, loan assets and commercial mortgage-backed securities. Certain Annaly employees who primarily support the commercial real estate business are expected to join Slate upon completion of the sale, including Timothy Gallagher, head of commercial real estate, and Michael Quinn, head of commercial investments.
“The commercial real estate business has been an important component of Annaly’s differentiated investment model since 2013,” says David Finkelstein, Annaly’s chief executive officer and chief investment officer. “This transaction delivers compelling execution for our shareholders and will provide additional capacity to further expand our leadership and operational capabilities across all aspects of the residential mortgage finance market, which has been the cornerstone of Annaly’s strategy since our founding.”
Upon closing of the transaction, New York City-based Annaly intends to use proceeds from the sale to repay its financing facilities related to the commercial real estate assets being sold and to purchase targeted assets in accordance with its capital allocation policy, which may include investments in agency assets as well as residential and corporate credit assets. The transaction is expected to be complete by the third quarter.
The U.S. headquarters of Slate are in Chicago. The real estate-focused alternative investment platform maintains approximately $6.5 billion in assets under management.