FDIC Steps Up Busted-Bank Loan Sales on Terms Buyers ‘Love’

April 14 (Bloomberg) -- Starwood Capital Group LLC, Colony Capital LLC and TPG, whose leaders profited from the 1990s savings and loan crisis, are among firms buying assets from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for as little as 22 cents cash on the dollar, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The sales, some including no-interest financing from the agency, are part of an FDIC effort to clean out $40 billion of loans that regulators seized from failed banks. Starwood Chief Executive Officer Barry Sternlicht told potential investors in February it’s “very hard to lose money” on the deals. The government, which was faulted two decades ago for letting bank assets go at fire-sale prices, is planning to profit along with investors. Instead of selling the loans outright, the FDIC kept stakes of 50 percent or more in at least five loan portfolios sold since September. It’s also demanding as much as 70 percent of any gains.

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