MetLife provides loan to Greystar in UK

MetLife has completed a 122.8 million pounds ($206 million) senior debt acquisition financing package for an affiliate of US-based Greystar Real Estate Partners. The loan is secured against three student housing assets in London totalling 1,135 beds. The real estate financing loan was arranged for MetLife by Laxfield Capital, a specialist commercial mortgage investment manager in the UK.

PRESS RELEASE

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) and Laxfield Capital Ltd. announced today the completion of a 122.8 million pounds ($206 million) senior debt acquisition financing package for an affiliate of U.S.-based Greystar Real Estate Partners.
MetLife provided the real estate financing loan, which was arranged for MetLife by Laxfield Capital, a specialist commercial mortgage investment manager in the United Kingdom.

The loan is secured against three student housing assets in London totalling 1,135 beds. The portfolio includes the 230-bed complex on Great Suffolk Street in Southwark; the 573-bed Woodland Court near Caledonian Road in Islington; and the 332-bed Wedgwood Court on Holloway Road.

“This deal is a first in the United Kingdom for MetLife and Greystar, who have been working together for many years in the U.S. real estate market,” said Paul Wilson managing director of real estate for MetLife in the United Kingdom. “MetLife is committed to establishing and growing strong relationships with top-tier real estate owners of core assets. We are excited to work with Greystar.”

Adam Slater, managing director for Laxfield, said: “In this increasingly competitive lending environment, we are very pleased to be working with Greystar and MetLife. This high quality portfolio was an ideal transaction to cement further our relationship with MetLife, having arranged nine transactions since 2010 worth over 820 million pounds ($1.4bn).”

About MetLife
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs. MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

About Greystar Real Estate Partners
Greystar is a fully integrated real estate company offering expertise in investment management, development, and property management of residential properties. Headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, Greystar is the largest operator of apartments in the United States, managing approximately 215,000 units in over 100 markets. Also, Greystar has over $1.5 billion of development underway and has a robust institutional investment management platform with over $7.5 billion USD in assets in major markets globally. Greystar was founded by Bob Faith in 1993 with the intent to become a provider of world-class services in the rental residential real estate business. To learn more about Greystar, visit www.greystar.com.

About Laxfield Capital Ltd
Laxfield Capital is a commercial mortgage origination, investment management and advisory business. Laxfield Capital currently manages £1.3 billion of commercial mortgage assets on behalf of global institutional investors, including life companies, banks and a sovereign wealth fund.

Founded in 2008 to capitalise on the growing international appetite for UK commercial mortgage investments, Laxfield Capital provides a comprehensive range of services, including Origination, Investment Selection, Execution, Syndication, Investment Management and Strategic Advisory.

Since 1995, the Laxfield Capital directors have originated and managed 8 billion pounds of commercial mortgages in the UK and several European markets and assisted eight international investors in building or expanding their UK commercial mortgage platform. More information is at www.laxfieldcapital.com.