In 2002, Arcapita Bank, B.S.C., then known as First Islamic Investment Bank, or FIIB, faced a liquidity crunch. Aracapita offered Islamic-compliant private equity, real estate, and venture capital products. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, however, Islamic banking was an endangered species in the U.S. Should Arcapita change its business model, and how should it finance its growing capital needs?
In January 2006, Andrew Banks and Royce Yudkoff were considering raising a 5th fund for their media-focused private equity firm, ABRY Partners. ABRY had a strong track record that the co-founders attributed to their group's deep knowledge of the media industry and relationships with media lenders, coupled with a client-service approach to working with Limited Partners. For the fund, Banks and Yudkoff had intended to raise $1 billion and continue their existing strategy, but potential Limited Partners had indicated that they would be willing to commit up to $4 billion. Banks and Yudkoff had to decide whether or not to quadruple the capital in their latest fund.
Nordic Telephone Company, formed by a consortium of private equity firms, has made a public tender offer for Denmark's leading telecommunications company, TDC. TDC's board of directors approved the take-private transaction, and 88% of shareholders have accepted the offer. Nordic Telephone must gain 90% of TDC's shares to force compulsory redemption under Denmark law. However, a pension fund that held 5.5% of the outstanding stock has rejected the offer. Should Nordic Telephone lower its 90% acceptance threshold and purchase TDC without a guarantee of full ownership, or should TDC walk away from the table?
Kinder Morgan, Inc., was a leader in the transportation and distribution of energy throughout North America, managing a master limited partnership with over $35 billion in infrastructure assets. In the summer of 2006, Richard Kinder, the founder and Chairman of Kinder Morgan, led a consortium of buyers to take the company private. The independent board of directors of Kinder Morgan must decide whether or not to accept Kinder's offer and assess the fairness of the proposal, given the conflicts of interest in this management buyout.