Leading legal business DWF has advised long-term client Clydesdale Bank PLC on the financing of London-based estate agent Portico’s most recent acquisition.

Portico’s acquisition of east London-based Spencers has taken the estate agent’s total offices up to 20 across London and its headcount up to circa 200 employees. Clydesdale Bank was able to facilitate the acquisition for its long-standing customer with a funding package following advice from DWF, supporting Portico’s main objective to expand its presence in the London real estate market.

Slaughter and May advised Legal & General on the annual update and amendment of its £4 billion Euro Note Programme. Under the Programme, Legal & General Group Plc have the ability to issue senior or subordinated Notes and Legal & General Finance PLC may issue senior Notes guaranteed by Legal & General Group Plc, in each case to be listed and traded on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

Paul, Weiss client The Carlyle Group divested its shares of Yuanta Financial Holdings Ltd, amounting to approximately $90 million in aggregate, through an accelerated book-build and block trade on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Paul, Weiss assisted Carlyle in acquiring these shares when it exited its investment in Ta Chong Bank via swapping their shares in Ta Chong Bank.

The Paul, Weiss team included corporate partner Jeanette Chan and counsel Corinna Yu.

Davis Polk advised China Cinda Asset Management Co., Ltd. (“Cinda”) on U.S. regulatory matters in connection with its HK$68 billion acquisition of Nanyang Commercial Bank, Limited (“NCB”) from BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of China Limited, which closed on May 30, 2016.

On 25 May 2016, the Luxembourg based Banque Havilland SA completed the acquisition of Banque Pasche SA, from CIC Lyonnaise de Banque, Lyon (France).

With this acquisition, Banque Havilland establishes a presence in Switzerland. The parties entered into a sale and purchase agreement in 2015, which was subject to the FINMA approval. Prior to the purchase of Banque Pasche SA, Banque Havilland acquired in 2014 subsidiaries of Banque Pasche, inter alia in Liechtenstein and The Bahamas.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised European Investment Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Talanx as senior lenders in relation to the Irish Primary Care PPP Project. The project involves the financing, construction and operation of 14 community hospitals located throughout Ireland.

The hospitals will house non-acute services such as GP surgeries and dentists. The development will be delivered by a consortium made up of Balfour Beatty Investments, Prime plc and InfraRed, and will mark a step change in the way health services are delivered in Ireland.

On 30 May 2016, King & Wood Mallesons (“KWM”) acted as the PRC legal counsel for Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (“BOCHK”), advising on its disposal of 100% shares of Nanyang Commercial Bank, Limited (“NCB”) for the consideration of HK$68 billion and successfully closed the deal. The transaction marks the first overseas bank’s sale of all its issued shares held by a state-owned financial institution (a HK-registered company) on the domestic equity transaction platform through public listing.

Hong Kong – Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented China Life in the US$1.65 billion acquisition of 1285 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, the highest value New York City office building transaction this year. The purchaser consortium was led by RXR Realty LLC., a New York Tri-State Area active institutional owner, manager, and developer. China Life is the single largest investor in the transaction.

McCann FitzGerald advised Allied Irish Banks p.l.c. on the implementation of its capital reorganisation in December 2015 which comprised, among other things, the conversion and redemption of 3.5 billion preference shares held by the Irish Government into ordinary shares, a consolidation of ordinary shares, the redemption of a legacy promissory note, and the potential issue of warrants.

Chargeurs announces the completion of a €57 million mixed format Euro PP financing.

This Euro PP involves a €32 million bank financing subscribed by Bank of China Limited, Bred Banque Populaire and Landesbank SAAR and a €25 million bond issue subscribed by institutional investors represented by Kepler Cheuvreux.

This mixed Euro PP financing will enable Chargeurs to attract different types of lenders and achieve optimal conditions, all the while maintaining a streamlined execution process.