The fund finance markets have maintained their active pace into March without any signs of letup the last two weeks. Here are some of our recent market observations as well as some of my forecasts for the year ahead.
FFA NextGen and Diversity teams held a panel session this week on “Cross-Border Relationships: A Journey in Diversity.” Over 100 attendees tuned in to the discussion moderated by David Lammy, Member of Parliament for Tottenham and the Shadow Justice Secretary, with panelists Shani Unantenne, Executive Director, Financial Institutions Europe at ANZ; Valery Nformba, Solicitor at Macfarlanes LLP; Wol Kolade, Managing Partner at Livingbridge; and Yomi Akinyemi, Director at Wells Fargo. Read on for some key takeaways.
Brickfield founder Rory Smith has posted an article with some observations on the use of LinkedIn during the recruitment process in niche sectors like Fund Finance, based on recent feedback from clients and candidates. Is a one-size-fits-all approach appropriate?
Crestline Investors, Inc. announced last week that its Fund Liquidity Solutions team was recognized as the 2020 Fund Financier of the Year by Private Debt Investor magazine for the second time in the past three years.
Silicon Valley Bank’s New York Global Fund Banking division promoted a host of bankers recently. Anna Etra was promoted to Vice President I. Matt Finn and Ben Lee were both promoted to Vice President II. Marc Remini was promoted to Director. Congrats to Anna, Matt, Ben and Marc!
Cadwalader's New York office seeks a junior associate and a midlevel associate for positions specializing in Fund Finance and Derivatives. The ideal candidates will have experience at a financial institution or law firm involving secured lending and/or derivatives.
Fund Finance Friday has previously provided an overview of traditional umbrella subscription facilities and their pros and cons – please see Wes Misson’s excellent article published in April 2019. Those were simpler times. Over the two years since that article, we have seen more innovation in the market. As Wes noted at the time, these “complex but interesting creatures” continue to evolve.
As most in the loan market are by now aware, the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York issued a decision on February 16, 2021 In Re Citibank August 11, 2020 Wire Transfers that certain lenders were entitled to retain approximately $500 million in funds erroneously sent by the administrative agent under a credit facility to Revlon, Inc. The court’s decision came as a shock to many in the lending community. However, it is based on an interpretation of the “discharge for value” doctrine, and stands for the fact that payors are in the best position to avoid errors in payments and are the appropriate party to bear the risk of any associated losses.
The Fund Finance Association has been active in the last week, including soliciting nominations for its 2021 Industry Awards. The Julian Black Lifetime Contribution to the Industry Award, the Dee Dee Sklar Women in Fund Finance Award and the NextGen Member of the Year Award are familiar to the industry. Two new awards have been added this year: the Diversity in Fund Finance Award, which will recognize an individual’s contribution to furthering diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the fund finance industry, and the Annual Contribution to the Industry Award, which aims to recognize several individuals who have made outsized contributions in the past year.