Tausi Insider

Romspen, one of Canada’s biggest private mortgage lenders, with $3.2-billion in assets under management, is freezing investor redemptions, citing some trouble with loan repayments. The act of freezing redemptions, known as “gating” in the investment industry, prevents investors from taking their money out of the fund. Because Romspen is a private lender, a preset mechanism for redemptions normally permits a certain amount to be paid back to investors each month. The company has not said how long the freeze will last. Instead, it told investors this week that it will “temporarily defer payment of unit redemptions requests until there is more clarity with respect to the fund’s timetable for borrower loan repayments and the receipt of proceeds of collateral and asset monetizations.” Romspen’s portfolio largely comprises construction and predevelopment loans, and it lends to borrowers across the United States and Canada. In its letter to investors, the company warned that “if redemption...

Blackstone Inc limited withdrawals from its $69 billion real estate income trust (REIT) on Thursday after receiving too many redemption requests, an unprecedented blow to a franchise that helped it turn into an asset management behemoth. The curbs in redemptions came because they hit pre-set limits, rather than Blackstone setting the redemption limits on the day. Nonetheless, they fuelled investor concerns about the future of the REIT, which makes up about 17% of Blackstone’s earnings. Blackstone shares ended trading down 7.1% on the news. Investors in the REIT, which is not publicly traded, have been growing concerned that Blackstone has been slow to adjust the vehicle’s valuation to that of publicly-traded REITs, which have taken a hit amid rising interest rates, a source close to the fund said. Rising interest rates weigh on real estate values because they make financing them more expensive. Blackstone has reported a 9.3% year-to-date return for its REIT, net of fees, while the pu...