The M&A market is normalising – Ares’ Matt Theodorakis
PODCAST: “People are looking to do deals going forward” after taking a pause following ‘Liberation Day’, Theodorakis told Lisa Lee, managing editor at Creditflux, on the latest Credit Exchange podcast

Clearlake launches Clearlake Credit to chase private and public credit investments
The new platform will integrate the newly acquired MV Credit and WhiteStar Asset Management

CLO manager M&A driven by search for talent and scale

Bill Lemberg helms CLO team as Post Advisory mulls sales
Lemberg has put his retirement plans on hold following the quick departure of Marc Boatwright
 

Apollo’s Redding Ridge agrees to acquire Irradiant to become top 5 CLO manager
The deal will also see Irradiant Partners’s senior management team take up positions across Redding Ridge and Apollo

Daniel Loeb’s Third Point agrees to acquire Birch Grove
Billionaire Daniel Loeb’s Third Point said it will acquire AS Birch Grove from American Securities, in a move designed to expand the hedge fund's credit capabilities, according to a press release

Silver Rock sells 42% stake to Mubadala
New York-based Silver Rock has agreed to sell a 42% stake to Mubadala Capital, but the two entities will continue to operate independently

BlackRock acquires HPS in USD 12bn deal
BlackRock has acquired HPS Investment Partners for USD 12bn in an all-stock transaction, creating a private credit franchise with a combined USD 220bn in client assets

Fidelity Investments buys Fidelity International’s European CLO platform
Life has become a little simpler for CLO investors, as the two different Fidelity CLO platforms combine into one manager

Trump victory raises hopes for high yield markets, M&A revival
Leverage finance markets cheered Donald Trump’s win on the prospect the former president’s return to the White House will unleash deregulation and M&A, lower taxes and higher economy growth

Wendel announces purchase of majority stake in Monroe Capital
French investment firm Wendel announced on Tuesday it has agreed to acquire 75% of US private credit firm and CLO manager Monroe Capital for USD 1.13bn, as part of its planned expansion into third-party asset management.

Hayfin agrees to Arctos-backed management buyout
The management team at Hayfin Capital Management is taking over the company in a management buyout backed by Arctos Partners

Nomura restructures credit asset management in the Americas
Nomura Group has launched a new brand for its credit asset management capabilities in the Americas, integrating Nomura Group's public and private credit offerings

New report finds 2023 a record year for alternative credit M&A
A new report on “Acquisitions of Alternative Credit Managers” by credit specialist Gapstow forecasts that more M&A activity lies ahead for credit firms as they struggle with the challenges facing the broader investment management industry

Aquarian buys minority stake in Obra
Obra Capital revealed in Monday that it had sold a minority equity ownership stake to Aquarian Holdings

Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling partners affirm merger
The partnership will help both firms expand internationally while changing the legal landscape

Vertical Capital Income fund changes name as Carlyle takes over and shifts focus to CLOs
Vertical Capital Income Fund is set to rebrand as Carlyle Credit Income Fund after a transaction appointing Carlyle Group as the fund's investment manager and shift the fund's investment mandate to CLOs closed on Friday

TPG buys Angelo Gordon for $2.7 billion
TPG has entered into an agreement to buy Angelo Gordon in a cash and equity deal valued at around $2.7 billion, the firm has announced

PGIM buys majority stake in direct lender Deerpath
PGIM has bought a majority interest in direct lending firm Deerpath Capital Management

WhiteStar absorbs yet more CLO contracts
WhiteStar Asset Management has underlined its status as one of the leading acquirers of CLO platforms in recent times

Sound Point/Assured CLO overlap to increase but no credit concern, says Fitch
 The firm's Fitch-rated CLOs had an average 37% portfolio overlap as of April, based on based on obligor count

Sound Point to take on Assured's asset management business in new partnership
Assured Guaranty and Sound Point Capital Management have struck up a partnership, according to an announcement, which will make Sound Point the fifth largest CLO manager globally.

Starting Clover: Blackstone completes AIG CLO acquisition with rebrand
Covenant CLO Advisors, the investment manager of AIG’s CLOs, has rebranded to Clover CLO Advisors and is now a Blackstone affiliate

FS and Portfolio Advisors join forces to create $73bn asset manager
FS Investments and Portfolio Advisors have announced a merger in a deal which will see Portfolio Advisors become the institutional investment arm of FS

Blackstone buys $3.6 billion US CLO manager
An affiliate of Blackstone has entered into a purchase and sale agreement to buy a CLO management business