FINANCE: Investment manager Omni Partners has bought a stake in independent real estate debt advisory firm Brookland Partners.
It is the second real estate debt investment made by the hedge fund firm, founded by Steve Clark in 2004, in as many years.
Last year, it acquired existing short-term UK property lender Capital Bridging Finance, which it had provided with seed capital in 2009.
The purchase enabled Omni to give its existing institutional investor base access to the increasingly popular asset class through a real estate debt vehicle.
CBFL serves as the origination platform for the Omni Secured Lending Fund, which launched in February.
In May, Omni added to its real estate debt capabilities with the appointment of former GE Capital boss John Jenkins as a partner of Omni and chief executive of CBFL.
Omni plans to work with Brookland Partners, which was founded by managing partner Nassar Hussain in mid-2009, to develop new products.
Brookland has completed in excess of 30 transactions across Europe, representing debt of more than €25bn and is recognised as a top 10 global restructuring firm.
It has provided advice on CRE/CRE debt to government agencies, global financial institutions, institutional investors, private equity firms and servicers.
In 2013, Brookland launched a new business line designed to connect lenders and borrowers in the real estate debt market.
The new platform, Brookland Financial, will act for both borrowers and lenders and was timed to take advantage of the increased availability of real estate debt capital and increased interest in real estate investment and refinancing by investors.
Hussain, who works alongside partner Gareck Wilson, said the deal with Omni Partners “is the next stage in Brookland’s natural evolution”.
He added: “Omni’s combination of specialist alternatives product experience and existing institutional infrastructure combined with their embodiment of entrepreneurialism and out of the box thinking made them the right fit for our business.”
Omni’s founder and head of risk Steve Clark said: “Having gained traction with investors after launching the Omni Secured Lending Fund earlier this year, we are confident that the sector and private debt funds capitalising on opportunities within the space remain attractive to institutional investors.”
bridget.o’connell@estatesgazette.com
