The response to our second annual awards, launched last week with an increased number of categories, has been strong (CAST YOUR VOTE HERE). Moreover, a quick peak at the voting so far indicates that – as the clock ticks towards our deadline of midnight on 8 January 2016 – the battles in the weeks ahead will be intriguing and closely fought.
In the European bank lender of the year award, the early running is being made by Deutsche Bank, with €5 billion deployed this year; pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank which completed a successful IPO in the summer; and ING, which brought Asian banks to Europe’s table through its syndication efforts. HSBC, Lloyds Bank and Citi are hot on the heels of that trio.
In the European loan buyer category, one of seven new award categories introduced this year, the running is so far virtually neck-and-neck between four contenders: Cerberus, Lone Star, Oaktree and Wells Fargo.
Meanwhile, the US categories are also shaping up into tight contests. In the race for debt broker of the year, large deal specialist Eastdil Secured is locking horns with CBRE, which arranged a Freddie Mac loan for Northstar’s purchase of the Fountains senior housing portfolio. But both firms face strong competition from HFF and Meridian Capital.
In another new category for top US legal advisor, all four shortlisted firms are attracting strong support in the early stages. They comprise: Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; Dechert; Fried Frank; and Gibson Dunn.
A quick reminder of our rules: vote for one contender in each category; vote in as many, or as few, of the 27 European and US categories as you wish; and do not vote for your own company. Do please feel free to forward to interested parties and keep the votes coming – yours could make all the difference!
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