Hilton $2.3 Billion Secondary Offering

Davis Polk advised Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as representatives of the underwriters in connection with the $2.3 billion secondary offering of 90,000,000 shares of common stock of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. by certain selling stockholders affiliated with The Blackstone Group L.P. Hilton’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HLT.” More >>

Tags:  New York

NewStar Financial Obtains $300 Million Investment from GSO-Advised Funds

Simpson Thacher is representing NewStar Financial in connection with an investment by three Franklin Square business development companies (which are advised by GSO Capital) in $300 million of NewStar subordinated notes and warrants to purchase approximately 20% of NewStar’s common stock. The transaction is scheduled to close in stages, beginning at the end of this year and continuing through 2015. Issuance of a portion of the warrants is subject to approval by NewStar’s stockholders at a special meeting expected to be held within the next few months. More >>

Tags:  New York

Goodwin Advises Hampden Bancorp in Merger with Berkshire Hills Bancorp

Goodwin Procter recently advised Hampden Bancorp, Inc. in connection with the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. will acquire Hampden. The transaction, valued at approximately $109 million, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2015. Under the terms of the merger agreement, shares of Hampden common stock will be exchanged for .81 shares of Berkshire Hills common stock. Berkshire Hill’s total assets will increase to $7.1 billion, including $706 million of assets acquired from Hampden Bank. More >>

Tags:  Goodwin Procter LLP | Boston

Freshfields advises on the sale of Columbus International Inc to Cable & Wireless Communications plc

Leading international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is advising Columbus International Inc and its shareholders on the sale of Columbus to Cable & Wireless Communications plc.

Columbus is a privately-owned diversified telecommunications company with operations in the Caribbean, Central America and the Andean region.

Cable & Wireless has agreed to pay approximately USD1.85bn for Columbus and will also assume Columbus’s existing net debt of approximately USD1.17bn. The consideration will be settled through the payment of cash and the issue of new ordinary shares in Cable & Wireless to certain Columbus shareholders. Completion is expected to take place in Q1 of 2015 and is conditional on certain regulatory approvals as well as Cable & Wireless shareholder approval. More >>

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Willkie Launches Houston Office

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that it is opening an office in Houston, Texas. The office will be the New York firm’s first new domestic office opening in more than 30 years. Willkie has a substantial client base in Texas including a number of the most highly regarded energy-related funds and most active industrial buyout firms in the region. This move furthers the firm’s strategy to combine the strengths of its existing relationships, the private equity, leveraged finance, M&A and capital markets skills of a traditional Wall Street firm and the talents of Houston-based attorneys specializing in energy and buyout transactions.

Launching the Houston office will be Willkie corporate partner Bruce Herzog, together with Michael Piazza, who joins from Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, and Angela Olivarez, who joins from Jones Day. More >>

Tags:  Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP | Houston

McDermott Advises Constellation Brands in $800 Million Notes Offering

International law firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP represented Constellation Brands, Inc., a leading beverage alcohol company, in its concurrent issuances on November 3, 2014 of $400 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2019 and $400 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2024 in a public offering under a shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. More >>

Tags:  McDermott Will & Emery LLP | Boston