BoI opens in Germany

Bank of Ireland (BoI) has opened its first office in Germany after around nine years of operating in the market.

The Frankfurt team will be jointly led by Ralph Betz and Maurice FitzGerald. German national Betz recently crossed to BoI from Bank of Scotland, Frankfurt, where he worked on arranging mid-market debt. FitzGerald has moved from BoI’s Dublin office, where he has been involved in the German leveraged finance market since 2002.

The new office will will offer mid-market senior and mezzanine debt arranging capability to private equity funds operating in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Europe.

David Walsh, head of European acquisition finance at the bank, said: “Bank of Ireland’s success in the German leveraged finance market has necessitated the opening of a second continental European office in Frankfurt. The opening of this new office represents our further commitment to the German mid-market where we have recently completed the Gutehoffnungshutte Radsatz and Westfalia Automotive transactions as mandated lead arranger.”