Finance Lending
CSV Acquires $214M Mezzanine Loan on Hotel Portfolio
Oct 6, 2008

Carlton Group has reported that Carlton Strategic Ventures, CSV, the principal investment and merchant banking group of the Carlton Group, has acquired a $214 million participation in the M7 mezzanine loan tranche on the Extended Stay Hotels portfolio. The M7 loan tranche is a senior mezzanine level tranche with over $1 billion of subordinate debt and borrower equity. The M7 mezzanine loan is part of a $7.4 billion financing provided by Wachovia Bank, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Bear Stearns to fund the acquisition of Extended Stay Hotels Inc. by the Lightstone Group in June 2007.

The primary collateral underlying the loan is a portfolio of 664 extended stay hotel properties, as well as a pledge of all cash flow from 17 ground-leased properties, which comprise approximately 75,700 hotel rooms in the United States and Canada. Certain of the investors that hold mezzanine tranche positions in ESH include Fortress Investment Group, SL Green Realty Corp., Square Mile Capital Management, Archon Group, Ashford Hospitality Trust, and numerous other highly-regarded financial institutions and investors.

 
Recent Lending Headlines
Education Realty Nabs $222M
Jan. 06, 2009
Student housing REIT Education Realty Trust Inc. has closed a $222 million secured credit facility, courtesy of Fannie Mae DUS lender Red Mortgage Capital Inc., and is wasting precious little time making use of the proceeds.
Emeritus Closes Refi Deal, Extends $73M Debt
Jan. 05, 2009
Assisted living and Alzheimer's care facilities provider Emeritus Corp. capped the end of the year by ensuring there would be no material maturities hanging over its head in 2009. The company wrapped up the $36.3 million refinancing of seven properties through Freddie Mac, a move that allowed it to pay down and extend an existing debt with Capmark.
3Q GDP Down, 4Q Expected to Be Worse
Dec. 24, 2008
The quarterly report by the U.S. Department of Commerce on the national GDP is something of a lagging indicator. The fact that the U.S. economy contracted 0.5 percent in the third quarter--July to September--might be worrisome, but it only raises the further question of how much contraction will happen in the fourth quarter.
paulson A Bailout for Commercial Real Estate?
Dec. 22, 2008
"Right now, we believe there is insufficient systemic capacity to refinance expiring, performing commercial real-estate loans," reads a letter from a dozen commercial real estate trade groups to Treasury Sec. Henry Paulson, according to the Wall Street Journal this morning. In other words, the commercial side of the business, long perceived as relatively healthy compared with the residential side, is warning of dire straits ahead unless refinancing money is available in the near future.
CMBS Delinquencies Speeding Up: Fitch
Dec. 22, 2008
Back in January 2008, long before the capital markets took their astonishing twists, Fitch Ratings made a sobering prediction: By the end of the year, its CMBS loan delinquency index would be double or triple the 0.28 percent recorded at the end of 2007. Fitch’s crystal ball turned out to be right on the money. On Friday the ratings agency reported that CMBS delinquency reached 0.64 percent for November. At this pace, Fitch projects that CMBS delinquencies could hit 2 percent by the end of 2009.
 
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