The Carlyle Group yesterday became the biggest shareholder of Ta Chong Bank (大眾銀行), securing seven out of 13 seats on the board of directors.
The Kaohsiung-based bank held an extraordinary shareholders meeting to approve a NT$21.5 billion (US$663 million) joint cash injection by the US private equity fund's local investment arm and a financial service provider under private equity fund Corsair Capital LLC.
Carlyle planned to control 25 percent of Ta Chong, while Corsair was expected to take a 12 percent stake, Ta Chong said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Tuesday, which detailed the structure of the private placement.
If Carlyle converts all its convertible preferred shares and convertible debentures in the future, it would command a 27.7 percent stake in the bank, leaving Corsair with a 9.3 percent stake.
Carlyle was supposed to complete the fund injection of NT$15.5 billion yesterday, but postponed it until the end of this month. The US buyout firm is expected to pay the remaining NT$6 billion at the end of this month as well.
Two of the seven seats Carlyle secured are independent directors. Chairman Chen Tien-mao's (陳田錨) family got three seats, while another three seats went to the Ko family, which runs Kwang Yang Motor Co (光陽工業), the nation's largest motorcycle manufacturer, company spokesman James Chiou (邱正光) said by telephone.
While management will remain in the hands of the current team, Chen said he would retire and hand his position over to his son, Chen Chien-ping (陳建平).
Chen Chien-ping was later elected by the board as the new chairman.
Carlyle representative Gregory Zeluck was elected as vice chairman, the Ta Chong filing said.
Ta Chong posted a net loss of NT$310 million, or NT$0.15 per share, for the first three quarters yesterday, compared with a net loss of NT$3.96 billion, or NT$2.18 per share, in the same period last year.
SEMICONDUCTORS: The firm has already completed one fab, which is to begin mass producing 2-nanomater chips next year, while two others are under construction Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, plans to begin construction of its fourth and fifth wafer fabs in Kaohsiung next year, targeting the development of high-end processes. The two facilities — P4 and P5 — are part of TSMC’s production expansion program, which aims to build five fabs in Kaohsiung. TSMC facility division vice president Arthur Chuang (莊子壽) on Thursday said that the five facilities are expected to create 8,000 jobs. To respond to the fast-changing global semiconductor industry and escalating international competition, TSMC said it has to keep growing by expanding its production footprints. The P4 and P5
DOWNFALL: The Singapore-based oil magnate Lim Oon Kuin was accused of hiding US$800 million in losses and leaving 20 banks with substantial liabilities Former tycoon Lim Oon Kuin (林恩強) has been declared bankrupt in Singapore, following the collapse of his oil trading empire. The name of the founder of Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd (興隆貿易) and his children Lim Huey Ching (林慧清) and Lim Chee Meng (林志朋) were listed as having been issued a bankruptcy order on Dec. 19, the government gazette showed. The younger Lims were directors at the company. Leow Quek Shiong and Seah Roh Lin of BDO Advisory Pte Ltd are the trustees, according to the gazette. At its peak, Hin Leong traded a range of oil products, made lubricants and operated loading
STIMULUS PLANS: An official said that China would increase funding from special treasury bonds and expand another program focused on key strategic sectors China is to sharply increase funding from ultra-long treasury bonds this year to spur business investment and consumer-boosting initiatives, a state planner official told a news conference yesterday, as Beijing cranks up fiscal stimulus to revitalize its faltering economy. Special treasury bonds would be used to fund large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins, said Yuan Da (袁達), deputy secretary-general of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission. “The size of ultra-long special government bond funds will be sharply increased this year to intensify and expand the implementation of the two new initiatives,” Yuan said. Under the program launched last year, consumers can
Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp said they are leaving a global climate-banking group, becoming the latest Wall Street lenders to exit the coalition in the past month. In a statement, Citigroup said while it remains committed to achieving net zero emissions, it is exiting the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). Bank of America said separately on Tuesday that it is also leaving NZBA, adding that it would continue to work with clients on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The banks’ departure from NZBA follows Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Wells Fargo & Co. The largest US financial institutions are under increasing pressure