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A Peek Inside Moelis & Co.

October 6, 2008 - Moelis & Co. executives are proud of what the investment bank has achieved in its short lifespan. Just don't call their firm a boutique.

Unraveling Indian Conglomerates

September 29, 2008 - Domestic dealmakers may still occasionally garble the pronunciation of Tata Group, but the Indian conglomerate has nevertheless made a name for itself in US M&A circles. Other Indian multinationals are doing the same, as Mahindra, UB Group, Wipro Technologies, Essar Group and Reliance Group, among others, are fast becoming familiar names in state-side auctions. The difficulty for sellers, however, is that it can be impossible to precisely pinpoint the motivations of these buyers.

Special Generalists

September 29, 2008 - Private equity investors are typically split between the generalist and the specialist camps. One side is marked by opportunistic funds that will back a company in nearly any sector or field, while the other is niche-driven, relying on industry contacts and sector familiarity to source transactions and spot market dislocations. Increasingly, however, there is a category of investor that might fit somewhere in between, as a number of so-called generalists have worked to build up their qualifications in various industries.

Gimme More!

September 15, 2008 - It's already been about a week since the feds took over Fannie and Freddie, and I'm still not sure I get it. Not so much the specifics, but the end game.

Wall Street Shuffle

August 18, 2008 - James Cayne. Chuck Prince. Zoe Cruz. Erin Callan. Just a few of the more prominent names that come to mind when considering the fallout in individual callings on Wall Street since the tsunami in the credit markets began its assault last summer.

Good Sports

July 7, 2008 - Some of the most notable names in private equity, Steve Pagliuca and Tom Hicks, have made personal investments in sports franchises, but rarely have these deal makers pursued similar bets on behalf of the firms listed on their business cards. Institutional money, though, may be slowly creeping into ball parks, race tracks and even soccer fields.

A Package Deal

July 7, 2008 - Hicks Acquisition Co., a Dallas special purpose acquisition company established by private equity financier Thomas Hicks, reached a definitive agreement to go public with Graham Packaging Holdings in a $3.2 billion transaction with The Blackstone Group, marking one of the largest transactions to be executed between a blank check entity and industrial company.

M&Ain't

July 7, 2008 - By now, it's a well-worn tale, this one relayed by an investment banker: A private equity firm in the process of acquiring a company in a deal that would normally take six months will now spend a year hoping to get it done. But at least they're trying. Extended deal time frames and the falloff by private equity firms in buying companies have been the hallmark of the first half of this year, and while industry participants predict a slight uptick, overall not much will change in the remaining six months of the year. Regardless, Wall Street banks, which have laid off thousands of bankers due to the market slowdown, will continue to feel pressure in their M&A business the remainder of the year.

US Auto Wreck?

July 7, 2008 - GM and Ford share prices are trading at 52-week lows and investors have found that bonds from auto makers are tough to sell. At the same time, credit default swaps for both companies are at levels suggesting that they will file for bankruptcy within the next five years.

Standing Out

June 30, 2008 - In IDD's latest roundtable, a group of seasoned buyout market dealmakers convened in the magazine's New York offices to explore various aspects of the M&A market and the topic of buyer differentiation. Transaction structures, seller expectations, deal sourcing, private equity firm marketing and the value of operations talent were issues that took center stage in the discussion attended by Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff executive chairman James Hill, Red Diamond Capital managing director Bret Russell, Lazard Middle Market co-chief executive David Solomon, Altus Capital Partners senior partner Elizabeth Burgess and Wynnchurch Capital managing director Charles 'Chip' Grace.

Gelband, Kirk Return To Lehman

June 30, 2008 - Several weeks after demoting its chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Lehman Brothers announced it brought back two senior managers and promoted two others.

A New Take On SPACs

June 23, 2008 - If ever there were any questions about whether special purpose acquisition companies would wind up providing deal flow to the private equity community, those doubts should have been dispelled last Monday.

The Race to Save ResCap

June 16, 2008 - When it comes to out-of-court workouts, GMAC Financial's and Residential Capital's $60 billion recapitalization earlier this month may be remembered in the same breath as other notable corporate transfusions such as Chrysler and Western Union.

TowerBrook Pursues Building Products Investments

June 2, 2008 - TowerBrook Capital Partners, a New York- and London-based private equity firm, has tapped 15-year veteran building products executive Frank Riddick III to serve as an advisor to the firm and assist with exploring investment opportunities in the building products area.

Deutsche Revamps Leveraged Debt CM

June 2, 2008 - Following the departure of its European head of leveraged debt capital markets, Deutsche Bank is pooling its global leveraged debt capital markets under one man, David Flannery.