Cerberus Capital, the New York-based private equity fund that recently bought Chrysler from the erstwhile DaimlerChrysler for close to $7.5 billion, is entering the Indian market shortly.
The Hinduja group is learnt to be looking at alternative means of financing, including private credit, to fund its Rs 9,661 crore all-cash offer to acquire Reliance Capital. The regulator, Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (Irdai), had earlier rejected the collateral offered by the group to raise funds. The Hinduja group was in talks with Barclays, JPMorgan, Cerberus Capital Management and Apollo Global Management to raise up to $850 million.
Foreign investment in bonds issued by Indian corporates touched a 10-year high in May at 20,996 crore, driven by $3.35 billion fundraise by the Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) group, which saw infusion from Deutsche Bank, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Davidson Kempner, and Cerberus Capital, among others. The SP group sold three-year bonds, offering 19.75 per cent yield compounded annually and payable at maturity.
General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC have reopened merger talks, as Chrysler owner Cerberus Capital Management LP has signalled its willingness to give away part of its ownership in the auto maker, a media report said today, citing people familiar with the goings-on.
Private equity majors interested in buyouts have started initial discussions with promoter Vijay Mallya.
General Motors sees a profitable, if risky, path in gaining Chrysler's revenues and slashing costs.
Noting that the talks between GM and Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity arm that owns Chrysler, began over a month ago, the New York Times said, 'negotiations are not certain to produce a deal.' Quoting two people close to the process, the newspaper said that chances of a merger were "50-50" as of Friday and "would most likely still take weeks to work out."
The Tatas are not alone in the race to take over British car makers Land Rover and Jaguar. Apart from the Tatas, three private equity funds and two other trading companies are expected to join the race for the British luxury car makers.
The culture of these firms is alien to the Indian financial system. Distressed assets funds are known for their ruthless recovery ethics. Slicing and dicing a company and selling it on a piecemeal basis is their usual practice. This is something Indian banks are finding a little uncomfortable.
The stakeholders want protection from any litigation which might arise due to fresh claims against the company, especially after PE funds have bought stake in the company and the resolution plan has been cleared by the bankers.
"We've vetting very, very strongly. Very, very strongly. But we need help, and we need help by getting that executive order passed," he said.
