Neuberger Berman to Launch a European Private Loans Commingled Fund

London, September 27 2022 — Neuberger Berman, a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager is expanding its private loan offering with the launch of the Neuberger Berman European Private Loans Fund II.

The Dublin-domiciled fund will give institutional investors access to select non-sponsored, EUR denominated, high-quality, 3-10 year private loans diversified across EU jurisdiction and industry.

Over the past 20 years and now supported by a 14 strong team, senior portfolio manager Pieter D’Hoore has partnered with local European banks to set up exclusive access to loans to well-established companies with strong track records and low debt levels. These regional banks will originate loans and co-invest over the course of the loan as both a lender and servicer, while Neuberger Berman will have an active role in arranging each transaction. Investors will benefit from integration of ESG factors during the screening process, as part of a full due diligence process on each loan.

Commenting on the new launch, D’Hoore says: “To have launched this commingled strategy is a great endorsement of our expansive European banking network and experience in managing European loan strategies. The rise of alternative financing methods, moving away from traditional bank lending and co-investing, decreases risk while also increasing the access to a wider pool of financing. We look forward to securing exclusive deals that will provide much needed support to the European business community as well as help investors realise their investment objectives.”

Gilles Drukier, head of EMEA Insurance Solutions at Neuberger Berman, says: “Given the strategy’s attractive return on solvency capital requirements across most market conditions, especially when compared with other fixed income asset classes such as corporate bonds and sponsor driven direct lending, we have seen increasing interest from our insurance clients across the UK and Europe.

“The Neuberger Berman European Private Loan strategy offers investors a diversifying product with unique access to bilateral loans with a moderate risk profile and a multi-layer credit process. The fund gives access to a team with unique longstanding sourcing relationships with an exclusive group of banks across Europe. Our analysis shows that the benefit to many insurance portfolios by allocating to this asset class can be significant.”

Investing in the fund is subject to risk, including market, interest rate, currency, counterparty, liquidity, operational and changes in regulation / tax treatment risks.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategies—including equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge funds—on behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 25 countries, Neuberger Berman’s diverse team has over 2,500 professionals. For seven consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). In 2020, the PRI named Neuberger Berman a Leader, a designation awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. The PRI also awarded Neuberger Berman an A+ in every eligible category for our approach to ESG integration across asset classes. The firm manages $418 billion in client assets as of June 30, 2022. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

Media Contact:

Fiona Kehily
Neuberger Berman
+44 (20) 3214 9087
Fiona.Kehily@nb.com