SMSF loan provider acquired for $1.5bn
Global asset manager Brookfield has announced an agreement to acquire non-bank lender and asset manager La Trobe Financial for approximately $1.5 billion.
Brookfield will acquire La Trobe Financial from Blackstone and chief executive Greg O’Neill for a headline valuation of $1.5 billion, including a contingent payment tied to the business achieving certain performance milestones.
La Trobe Financial boasts more than $13 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Commenting on the acquisition, Brookfield private equity managing partner Len Chersky said: “We are pleased to expand our presence in Australia with the acquisition of La Trobe Financial, one of Australia’s leading mortgage originators and asset managers.
Mr O’Neill, the 37-year career veteran acknowledged as the key architect of the business’s growth, said that the business is being delivered into strong hands for its future.
“We remain very proud of the continued discipline and development of the business following my partnership with Blackstone over the past years,” the CEO said.
“The consolidation of La Trobe Financial’s attractive value proposition to both borrowers and investors, through our service philosophy of ‘others before self’, remains a great source of pride for all staff.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Closing is expected in the second quarter of 2022.