Shearman & Sterling is advising Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (Bloomberg ticker IVL.TB) on its joint venture with Abu Dhabi National Chemicals Company (ChemaWEyaat) to build an Aromatics plant in Abu Dhabi. The joint venture agreement was signed on 26 December 2013, and provides for Indorama Ventures to acquire a 49% interest in a joint venture company being formed to develop, own and operate the Aromatics plant, known as “Tacaamol”.
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Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. on a US$2.5 billion issuance of Yankee bonds under its US$15 billion Medium Term Note Programme.

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Simpson Thacher represented Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: HOV) and its subsidiaries (the “Company”), one of the nation’s largest homebuilders and a long-standing client of the Firm, in connection with the private placement offering by K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary (“K. Hovnanian”), of $150 million of 7.000% Senior Notes due 2019. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes for general corporate purposes, including land acquisition and land development, and to fund the redemption of all of K. Hovnanian’s outstanding 6.25% Senior Notes due 2015 and to pay related fees and expenses.

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Davis Polk advised Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as joint book-running managers and the initial purchasers on a Rule 144A and Regulation S offering by K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. of $150 million aggregate principal amount of 7% senior notes due 2019. The notes are guaranteed by Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. and substantially all of its subsidiaries. A portion of the proceeds of the offering will be used to fund the redemption of K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.’s outstanding 6.25% senior notes due 2015.

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Davis Polk advised Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as sole underwriter in connection with an SEC-registered secondary offering of 13,825,283 shares of Class A common stock of Groupon, Inc. by LivingSocial, Inc. Groupon’s Class A common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “GRPN.”

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National law firm Irwin Mitchell’s real estate team has advised Prestbury on the sale of a portfolio of care homes formerly operated by care home operator Southern Cross.

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Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, has advised OpenGate Capital in connection with the acquisition of Kem One SAS, second largest European manufacturer of PVCs, together with the industrial investor, Alain de Krassny. The reorganization plan of Kem One SAS was approved on Friday, 20 December by an Order of the Tribunal de Commerce (Commercial Court) of Lyon, after months of negotiations with Groupe Kem One’s principal business partners and support from the French Government to preserve the continued viability of the French petrochemical industry.

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The Firm represented BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Wells Fargo Securities in the public offering of $750 million of debt securities of Berkshire Hathaway Finance Corporation (“BHFC”), which will be guaranteed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire”), consisting of $650,000,000 of Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2017 and an additional $100,000,000 of its previously issued 2.000% Senior Notes due 2018.

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Simpson Thacher represented Northwood Investors LLC (“Northwood”) in its fourth offering of interests in Northwood Real Estate Partners LP and its related funds, which are private equity funds focused on investing in a wide range of real estate assets worldwide.  The funds closed on approximately $825 million of capital commitments during a 90-day period that ended in December 2013, bringing total capital commitments raised to approximately $3.6 billion.  The funds’ capital commitments may grow over time as the result of a unique Evergreen feature that allows the funds to reinvest investment proceeds, subject to certain limitations.

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