Each business day HedgeCo.Net keeps you informed with the top hedge fund industry news, opinion and insight from around the globe. From the latest hedge fund launches, to the impact of regulation, competition, and investor activism - we track the topics and people that make a difference to you.
Bloomberg – John Paulson, the hedge-fund manager whose wagers against the U.S. housing market helped him earn an estimated $2.5 billion last year, bought Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. stock in the second quarter, while adding to stakes in gold companies.
His firm, Paulson and Co., bought 168 million shares of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America valued at $2.2 billion as of June 30, according to a filing yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It was the biggest new purchase in the second quarter for Paulson, 53, and made him the bank’s fourth-largest owner.
Bloomberg – Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis faces more queries about his purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. after a federal judge refused to approve a $33 million settlement of a lawsuit over bonuses.
The bank agreed on Aug. 3 to settle U.S. claims the bank misled investors while buying Merrill. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in New York said the amount isn’t appropriate if the bank lied about billions of dollars in payments. Rakoff asked for more filings by Aug. 24 and said he won’t rule on the accord before Sept. 9.
Bloomberg – Atticus Capital LP, the New York- based hedge-fund firm run by Timothy Barakett, reversed course in the second quarter, investing more than $3.5 billion in U.S.- listed stocks as equity markets recovered.
Atticus bought $355 million in shares of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America Corp., a new position, according to a filing yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund’s holdings in U.S. stocks rose to $3.71 billion as of June 30 from $118 million on March 31.
NASDAQ – Tribridge Investment Partners Ltd., a Hong Kong-based hedge fund manager, said Monday it will launch a new fund in August and hired John Liptak, former head of Bank of America Corp.’s Asia special situations group, to run it.
The new fund will have a pan-Asia focus and seek to identify mispriced or undervalued securities due to financial stress, some corporate event or other special situation. It will be biased toward large-cap companies in more developed markets in the region such as Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, Singapore, or Japan.
"I believe that the opportunities from the upcoming default cycle have not been seen since shortly after the Asian currency crisis back in 1997-1998," Liptak said in prepared remarks.
Reuters – Bank of America Corp’s primary investment management unit is drawing lower than expected bids after its likeliest suitor, BlackRock Inc, inked a blockbuster deal to buy Barclays Global Investor, the Financial Times reported, citing people close to the matter.
Bank of America has been trying to sell its Boston-based Columbia Management unit since earlier this year, but the bank has so far not announced a deal for the unit.
The company is hoping to get at least $3 billion from a sale of Columbia Management, but bids so far have come in closer to $2 billion, the paper said, citing the people.
Reuters – The Federal Reserve sought to hide its involvement in Bank of America Corp‘s (BAC.N) acquisition of Merrill Lynch as Merrill’s financial condition worsened, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said on Wednesday.
The Fed "engaged in a cover-up and deliberately hid concerns and pertinent details regarding the merger from other federal regulatory agencies," Representative Darrell Issa said in a statement released to Reuters.
Bloomberg – Bank of America Corp., the largest U.S. bank by assets, received a $138 billion emergency lifeline from the government to support its acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. and prevent the global financial crisis from deepening.
The U.S. will invest $20 billion in Bank of America and guarantee $118 billion of assets “as part of its commitment to support financial-market stability,” the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said in a joint statement shortly after midnight in Washington.
CNNMoney.com – ACF Industries and Bank of America Corp. (BAC) are suing hedge fund Steel Partners, accusing the fund of fraud by failing to tell investors of plans to go public, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Reuters says ACF, which court documents say is affiliated with Carl Icahn, invested $15 million with Steel Partners Offshore Fund Ltd, which became Steel Partners II (Offshore) Ltd. In the suit, Bank of America, acting as trustee for ACF’s employee pension fund, accuses Steel Partners of failing to give proper notice of plans to become a publicly traded partnership.
