Steve Bills

Investcorp seems to have hit its sweet spot in its deal for Seattle kitchenware retail chain Sur La Table Inc.: The Bahrain-based firm paid something above $200 million to Freeman Spogli & Co. and the Behnke family in the hand-off, a person with knowledge of the deal told peHUB. Not much more is known about […]

President Obama had his say last week on the jobs issue, urging Congress to “pass this jobs plan right away.” Mitt Romney, the Republican contender for Obama’s job, weighed in earlier in the week, touting his role at Bain Capital as a job creator. But what about you, dear readers? Do you think it is […]

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool. So Anderson Cooper did a little takedown of Mitt Romney on his CNN program on Tuesday. The former Massachusetts governor and co-founder of Bain Capital, now running for the Republican presidential nomination, had just rolled out his 160-page job plan, in advance of President Obama's own jobs-promoting speech planned for today before a joint session of Congress. Romney bills himself as a job creator, although he passes off his ...

U.S. Bancorp is making buyout investing an early focus for a new business unit that will manage money for super-rich individuals and families with assets of $25 million or more, according to sister magazine Buyouts. Ascent Private Capital Management, which plans in October to open its first two offices in U.S. Bank’s home town of […]

The results are in, and I have to admit I’m surprised. By a margin of more than three to two, peHUB readers have declared “game over” on AT&T’s bid for T-Mobile. More than 60% of you think the acquisition will not go through as a result of the Justice Department’s decision to sue to block […]

The verdict is in, dear readers: Y'all do expect criminal charges to come down in the Justice Department's investigation of Wall Street. The only question is how severe it will be. Goldman Sachs, whose CEO Lloyd Blankfein hired criminal defense attorney Reid Weingarten this week, actually fared worse than the Street as a whole in our survey. Roughly three-fifths of you expect at least some indictments at the bank as a result of the industry's behavior leading up to the financial crisis.

New York Life Capital Partners, the private equity arm of the insurance company, is halfway done raising its third mezzanine pool, a planned $1 billion fund, a person familiar with the activity told sister publication Buyouts. New York Life Mezzanine Partners III would be a step up from its predecessor, which closed in 2007 with […]

The debt ceiling deal is unlikely to make much difference in the private equity and venture capital markets, and it may make things worse, peHUB readers believe. Responding to our question of the week yesterday and this morning, more than half of you, 52.1%, said the vote this week to avert a potential default on the […]

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool. So Congress eventually came to terms on a deal to increase the nation's federal debt ceiling, averting a potential default at the last second and preserving truth, justice and the American way. Or as Winston Churchill famously said, "The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative." We've heard about this endlessly, and, of course, our long, national soap opera will continue. But here at peHUB, we want to know what difference this makes to you, dear reader. Do you expect the economy will stabilize, or is a hefty dose of QE3 needed -- and for how long? Did the GOP get a win or did their freshman class cave? Will the pace of private equity and venture capital deals pick up, or will we wait with bated breath to see if the U.S. is downgraded -- and what would the impact of that be?

The Blackstone Group LP plans to raise $3 billion to $3.75 billion for mezzanine investments, according to an investor, reports sister publication Buyouts. The GSO Capital Opportunities Fund II LP plans to focus on mezzanine, secured debt and high-yield debt, according to the New Jersey Division of Investment, which made a $150 million commitment to […]