In the private equity world, how fast is fast? KPS Capital Partners needed less three months to raise its most recent fund, which collected $3.5 billion.

The year is swiftly coming to a close and while fiscal cliff negotiations continue in Congress, we do have some good news. The value of global announced private equity-backed mergers actually increased in December, according to data from Dealogic.

Water Street Healthcare Partners turned would-be investors away and spent less than eight weeks fundraising for its third fund, which closed at $750 million.

Berkshire Partners in line to get another dividend from National Vision

Avon may have rejected Coty’s $10 bln offer but the deal may signal the return of the mega LBO.

TransDigm Group has acquired AmSafe Global, a supplier of proprietary safety and restraint equipment used primarily in the global aerospace industry. AmSafe is being purchased for approximately $750 million in cash from a group controlled by Berkshire Partners and Greenbriar Equity Group. PRESS RELEASE TransDigm Group Incorporated (NYSE: TDG) announced today a definitive agreement to [...]

New York-based Ares Capital Corp. announced three financing commitments to new portfolio companies in the fourth quarter of 2011, totaling $640 million. The firm served as administrative agent, lead arranger and bookrunner in a senior secured credit facility to support the refinancing of Grocery Outlet Inc. by Berkshire Partners. The firm also acted as administrative agent in a second lien term loan to support the acquisition of Essent Healthcare by Warburg Pincus-backed RegionalCare Hospital Partners Inc. Finally, Ares served as administrative agent, lead arranger and bookrunner in a senior secured credit facility to support the acquisition of WorldStrides by The Carlyle Group.

Berkshire Partners appointed E.J. Whelan an MD effective January 1. Whelan joined Berkshire in 2005 and has focused on consumer products, retail and business services companies.

Boston-based investment firms ABRY Partners and Berkshire Partners have acquired The Telx Group Inc. Telx, based in New York, is a provider of global interconnection and colocation services. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Evercore Partners served as financial advisor to Telx on the transaction and Paul Hastings LLP served as legal advisor.

Following the best performance in 25 years for Wisconsin’s main pension fund, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board outlined long range plans to commit more than $6 billion to private equity through 2016, including $1 billion in both 2011 and 2012, rising to $1.4 billion per year in 2015 and 2016, according to a report by StepStone Group, Wisconsin’s private equity advisor.

Overall, the IRR for Wisconsin’s private equity portfolio was 12.9 percent for the year through March, beating the portfolio’s 12.1 percent benchmark, according to StepStone. Private equity returns for Wisconsin represented a gain of $949 million for the year.