Banking & Finance

We have some of the leading minds in banking and finance who are recognised in Australia and internationally as authorities on banking law and regulation and the strategies and inherent risks of the industry.

Overview

"We believe they're a safe pair of hands. The team is commercial, good at communication and has built a particular skill set."
Chambers Asia Pacific 2012

Banking is the foundation of Henry Davis York's success. Our sound institutional knowledge and reputation in the market has been developed through longstanding relationships with Australia's leading banks, financial institutions and boutique funds.

We speak your language

Through industry experience and putting clients' interests first, we understand the language of banking and finance and align our services with our clients' strategies and issues of the day.

Our multi-dimensional knowledge of the industry means that we can provide sound technical excellence along with commercial acumen. Clients know we look further than the transaction and consider the broader issues with a focus on commerciality and on identifying any potential reputational and risk issues before they arise.

Trusted advisers

When it comes to trust, Henry Davis York is top-of-mind. Through our acute awareness and thorough knowledge of their businesses, clients trust us to advise on their most sensitive and high risk transactions.

How we work with clients

We work with our banking clients in institutional lending, corporate banking, and complex transactional lending work including acquisitions, structured and project financing.

Our open lines of communication with clients enable us to communicate key milestones of transactions and advice.

What the market says

"When I need help Henry Davis York is my safe pair of hands, when I'm in trouble or when I want something tended on correctly."
IFLR 1000, 2012

Expertise

We enjoy an enviable reputation as banking and finance specialists who advise a broad range of clients including international banks, boutique financiers, fund managers, professional trustee companies and global exchanges.

Our expertise includes:

  • acquisition finance
  • asset-based finance 
  • capital markets 
  • corporate finance 
  • financial and alternative markets
  • futures and derivatives regulation 
  • institutional lending
  • project finance 
  • property finance 
  • receivables finance 
  • securitisation 
  • structured finance 
  • workouts and debt reconstruction.

Credentials

Bonnyrigg Social Housing PPP

Members of our team acted for the lender in providing $700 million in term and construction funding to the consortium for the Bonnyrigg Living Communities Project. This was Australia's first privately financed social housing project which involved public housing and the development and sale of private housing.

Victorian desalination project - project finance

Members of our team advised Treasury Corporation of Victoria on the project finance facilities for the Desal project. This has been the largest desalination project in the world to date. The deal involved structuring unique State credit support arrangements to enable the finance to be raised against the backdrop of the GFC.

Baiada Poultry - Bartter/Steggles acquisition finance

Advised Baiada Poultry on its acquisition finance and re-financing for the purchase of the Bartter/Steggles business which created Australia's largest poultry business.

ING Retail Property Fund Australia debt facilities

Assisted ING Real Estate, as borrower, with the $675 million refinancing of the ING Retail Property Fund Australia.

Macquarie Bank - LJ Hooker acquisition finance

Acted for Macquarie Bank on the debt financing of the leveraged buy-out of LJ Hooker - one of the biggest leveraged deals in 2009.

Redcape Property Trust (formerly Hedley Leisure and Gaming Property Trust) financing

Advised the senior bank syndicate on the extension and re-negotiation of a $700 million senior syndicated loan to Redcape Property Trust.

Perpetual - SMHL Securitisation Fund

Advised Perpetual on the recent A$780 million SMHL Securitisation Fund 2009-3 transaction. The deal completed a trifecta of domestic debt market issuances for Members Equity Bank in the second half of 2009. Henry Davis York worked on all three deals for Perpetual. By issuing bonds that were redeemable or convertible at the option of the bondholder, the deal attracted a high level of cash fund participation and broadened the investor base for Members Equity Bank. This deal was one of the first public offerings completed since the start of the global financial crisis and marked a resurgence in Australia's securitisation markets as it was completed without the key investment of the Government's Australian Office of Financial Management.

Acquisition funding

Advised the lender in the acquisition funding for a new property fund.

Babcock & Brown debt restructuring

We advised the syndicate of 25 banks in relation to the provision of additional funding of $150 million to the group and subsequent complex restructuring of all debt facilities totalling around $3 billion.

Allco Finance Group

Acting for three banks with the largest individual exposures of the banking syndicate to Allco Finance Group in connection with the restructuring of in excess of $1 billion worth of syndicated and bilateral facilities. Also advising those banks on individual bilateral exposures to various Allco satellites.

Mahogany Capital

Advising the Australian note trustee in connection with issues arrising out of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and flow on implications for a $125 million retail credit linked notes issued by an Australian special purpose company, Mahogany Capital Limited.

Seiza Capital

Advising for the secured lenders to the Seiza Capital group, an Australian mortgage originator and manager which manages and has residual income rights in connection with an approximately $1.2 billion portfolio of non-conforming loans. By way of a deed of company arrangement we assisted our client to effect a partial debt for equity swap and restructure of its facilities so as to enable a long term work-out of its exposure.

Centro Group

Acting for a club of banks providing funding to various Centro syndicates and subsequent advice regarding this and other exposures totalling around $400m owed by the troubled Centro Group.

Publications