Buyout giants show the money

As outlined on p8, the fees paid by private equity firms in 2006 outstripped even the eye-watering amount they handed over in 2005. Permira’s bill of US$305m in 2006 makes the US$181m Cinven paid to reach to reach the top of charts in 2005 look paltry.

The figures for 2005 make for interesting reading when compared to last year’s. They demonstrate just how busy private equity firms are, how much money they are prepared to pay to get their hands on ever larger assets and how willing they are to pay top dollar to the banks to underwrite the enormous debt levels and to syndicate such debt. By way of demonstrating how much more money was paid last year by way of fees, BC Partner’s, in fifth place based on this year’s figures after forking out US$189m, would have topped 2005’s charts and still had over US$8m to spare.