Crestline raises USD 3.5bn for sponsor and nonsponsor-backed direct lending
The firm held a final close for its Crestline Direct Lending Fund IV

Riverstone Credit Partners co-founders launch new energy credit investment company
New energy industry credit investment firm Breakwall Capital will focus on sustainable infrastructure investments, the circular economy and next-gen fuels

BlackRock creates ESG-focused credit fund
BlackRock launches new strategy as interest in private credit and sustainable investments continues to grow

Nuveen and Churchill launch private BDC with initial $350 million portfolio
The Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund will primarily invest in middle market senior loans and junior capital. The BDC can also allocate to private equity co-investments

KKR collects $2.1 billion for inaugural asset-based finance fund
KKR is making a push in the $4.5 trillion asset based finance market, which its co-heads of private credit see as "one of the most compelling and fastest-growing opportunities”

Credit Fundraising: Private credit and CLO captive equity feature strongly as closes mount up
Credit funds have made a fair start to the fourth quarter, although the $21 billion raised during October is down substantially on September’s impressive record for 2021

LP round up: no Stoptober as investors allocate $5 billion to credit
US institutional investors allocated $5 billion to credit funds in October, with Oak Hill and Pimco among the biggest mandates    

LP round up: Arcmont, Ares and Sixth Street win European direct lending mandates
Investors have allocated around $2 billion to credit funds in recent weeks, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux. Among those to recieve allocations include ADM, Arcmont, Ares, Audax, Bain, Centerbridge, Clearlake, Goldman Sachs merchant banking,  Invesco, Monarch, Oaktree, Raven, Sixth Street and Sound Mark

Credit fundraising: distressed keeps in favour but CLO ETFs emerge
Five months into global lockdown and distressed debt funds are still proving popular, but several managers have found success pitching other types of credit strategies

Flat Rock eyes interval fund conversion for private BDC
Flat Rock Capital Corporation, a private business development company managed by Flat Rock Global, has filed to convert to an interval fund, according to US regulatory filings. The BDC will merge into a new entity, subject to shareholder approval

Fund performance: Credit funds post double-digit gains
June returns have once again been led by CLO funds, as seven out of the top 10 belong to our CLOs category.

Fed expands Main Street direct lending scheme but it's unlikely to help CLOs
The US Federal Reserve Board has expanded the scope of its Main Street Lending Programme following more than 2,200 letters of feedback. Under the third loan facility, lenders will hold 15% of the loan to borrowers with greater leverage

Bain uses rights offerings as unusual route to raise cash for BDC
Bain Speciality Finance is looking to raise additional capital through a rights offering to “further strengthen its balance sheet” and “provide additional flexibility to support existing portfolio companies over the coming months”, chief executive officer Michael Ewald said in an open letter to shareholders on Monday

Churchill collects $2 billion for second unlevered US direct lending fund
Churchill Asset Management has held a $2 billion final close on its second US direct lending fund, doubling its original $1 billion target size

Ares emerges as favourite to take over troubled direct lending fund
Following Oaktree’s wind-down request, the board of the Ranger Direct Lending Fund has chosen Ares as replacement manager - moves which could see the fund change its focus from peer-to-peer loan investments to asset-backed loans

Ares switches to C-Corp structure as it announces "record year" in earnings release
Ares has announced a change to its corporate tax status in an earnings release that described 2017 as “a record year” for the firm

Private debt performance shines in institutional investing study
A quarter of institutional investors say private debt outperformed their expectations over 12 months to 28 August 2017

Managers line up behind tighter guidelines for drawdown funds
Six months after new guidelines were released over the use of subscription lines of credit for private equity-style funds, the aftershocks have been less dramatic than some credit managers expected

Balance of power shifts away from direct lenders
Mid-sized corporations are getting their way at the expense of direct lenders at the negotiation table, recent research suggests.