Castlelake climbs to $1.6 billion final close on fourth aviation fund
The Minneapolis-based firm says it has deployed just over half of the $1.6 billion fund, which invests in “high quality, younger mid-life aircraft and related aviation assets”

Fortress prints first Sofr-linked middle market CLO
Fortress Investment Group has priced the first middle market CLO with liabilities linked to Sofr

Gapstow expects strategic deals as credit manager M&A volume slumps to $120 billion
M&A volume involving credit asset managers dropped last year with total target value assets under management slumping to $120 billion from $149 billion in 2020 (and $254 billion in 2019), according to Gapstow Capital Partners

Natixis IM to sell stake in Canadian asset manager Fiera
Natixis Investment Managers is selling all 10.68 million class A subordinate voting shares it holds in Canada's Fiera Capital

Blackstone secures $8.75 billion for lending fund
Blackstone Credit has collected $8.75 billion on the final close of its latest credit opportunities fund, Blackstone Capital Opportunities Fund IV, above its $7.5 billion target

Apollo launches $1 billion non-traded private credit BDC targeting individuals
Apollo has launched its first non-traded business development company, Apollo Debt Solutions BDC, with ‘more than $1 billion’ assets under management

Crestline raises $1 billion for second portfolio financing fund
Crestline Investors has held a $1 billion final close on its second portfolio financing fund, Portfolio Financing Fund II

Ares launches new IG private credit strategy with senior hire
Ares Management has bolstered its credit capabilities by adding a new investment grade private credit strategy and hiring a managing director

Investcorp hires senior official to lead new Los Angeles office
The firm has expanded its US presence in the west coast and has hired a senior official responsible for growing investor relationships in the region

Park Square sells minority stake to Bonaccord
Bonaccord Capital Partners has bought a minority stake in $10 billion private credit shop Park Square Capital

Loomis Sayles builds private credit unit and starts by hiring Securian duo
Loomis Sayles has launched a private credit unit and has hired two from Securian Asset Management to lead the business

US pensions assign $1.5 billion to 16 credit managers in December
US public pensions rounded off 2021 by gifting credit managers around $1.5 billion in commitments, according to documents seen by Creditflux

GSO co-founders reunite as Hunter Point buys minority stake in Iron Park
Two of the three GSO Capital Partners co-founders Bennett Goodman and Tripp Smith have been reunited with Goodman’s Hunter Point Capital buying a minority stake in Smith’s Iron Park Capital

Blue Owl hires BlackRock veteran for private wealth role
Blue Owl Capital has hired a managing director and head of North American distribution from BlackRock

Re-issues show their worth after mid market deal morphs into BSL CLO
Re-issues are scarce in the CLO market, but a transaction late last year highlights how managers can use these effectively to make radical CLO transformations

Guggenheim prints second new CLO in as many months
Guggenheim Investments has priced its second middle market CLO in as many months, teaming up with Wells Fargo as bookrunner and Capital One Securities as co-placement agent to print the $450.4 million Guggenheim MM CLO 2021-4

Pennsylvania pension reveals $500 million in commitments to three private credit funds
Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement has revealed three private credit commitments as part of $1.1 billion in allocations to its alternatives bucket

BC closes $1.2 billion second special opportunities fund 12 months’ incubation
BCP Special Opportunities Fund II has collected $1.2 billion in capital commitments - but a year later than it originally earmarked a final close

"Some observers believe Europe’s opportunity in private debt lies at the lower end of the middle market"
European private debt has lagged its counterpart in the US. But a growth spurt may not be far off

Golub prices another $1bn CLO in second-largest new deal of 2021
Golub Capital Partners has priced the second-largest new CLO of 2021 and its second $1 billion deal in as many months

Credit funds at a glance (January 2022)
A round up of fundraising and people moves in credit

Credit Fundraising: mega funds contribute to record-breaking month as volume hits $39bn
The sheer size of the funds raised in November more than compensated for a drop in the number of funds raised as fundraising volume in credit reached $38.9 billion. This beat September by $2.4 billion to make it the most productive month of credit fundraising in 2021

CIFC pushes into direct lending with LBC acquisition
CIFC Asset Management has agreed to buy middle market direct lender LBC Credit Partners

Ares rounds out bumper year for direct lending with $14 billion US fund
Ares Management is ending 2021 with yet another massive direct lending fund-raise

MidCap returns to mid market CLO primary with first new deal in year
MidCap Financial has returned to the CLO primary market with its first new middle market deal in over a year