Colony NorthStar Signs Letter of Intent with S2K to Create “Colony S2K”
December 12, 2017 | James Sprow | Blue Vault
Colony NorthStar, Inc. (NYSE:CLNS) strengthened its commitment to its retail distribution platform Tuesday by signing a non-binding letter of intent with S2K Financial Holdings LLC (“S2K”) regarding the combination of Colony NorthStar’s broker dealer, NorthStar Securities, LLC (“NorthStar Securities”) with S2K to create a market leading broker dealer retail distribution business. S2K is the holding company of S2K Financial LLC, a registered broker dealer wholesale distributor of investment vehicles and funds, and S2K Servicing LLC, a provider of administrative services to institutional investment managers.
The proposed transaction would include Colony NorthStar contributing its broker dealer, NorthStar Securities, in exchange for a majority ownership interest in S2K, which would be rebranded as Colony S2K Holdings LLC (“Colony S2K”). Colony S2K would distribute both the current and future investment product slate of Colony NorthStar and S2K. The Proposed Transaction contemplates Colony S2K having offices in Denver and New York, and is expected to include significant senior leadership representation from the legacy NorthStar Securities team.
Subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive transaction documents, and the satisfaction of customary conditions included in such definitive transaction documents (including the completion of required regulatory filings), the Proposed Transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018.
Colony S2K will be led by Steven L. Kantor, Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kantor has over 30 years of investment banking and capital markets experience, including as Global Head of Investment Banking and Co-Founder of CCRE at Cantor Fitzgerald, Global Head of Securities and Alternative Investments at Credit Suisse, and Head of the Real Estate Investment Banking and Financing Divisions at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette.
Richard B. Saltzman, CEO, and President of Colony NorthStar said, “We’re very pleased and excited about this new construct with S2K for our broker dealer and retail distribution platform. For a variety of different reasons, the industry is going through a significant transformation and this strengthens and renews our commitment to the space in a way that maximizes our opportunity to be a ‘best-in-class’ market leader. We’ve known Steve Kantor for more than 25 years and have tremendous confidence in his leadership capabilities and resourcefulness to achieve this objective.”
Steven L. Kantor, Chairman and CEO of S2K, said, “Colony NorthStar and NorthStar Securities have an unparalleled reputation as both an investment manager and distributor of financial products to the nation’s leading broker dealers and RIAs. We believe retail investors will benefit meaningfully from the Colony S2K platform through broader client reach, expertise in emerging suitable products and greater access to capital.”
About Colony NorthStar
Colony NorthStar, Inc. (NYSE:CLNS) is a leading global real estate and investment management firm. Colony NorthStar resulted from the January 2017 merger between Colony Capital, Inc., NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. and NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. Colony NorthStar has significant property holdings in the healthcare, industrial and hospitality sectors, other equity and debt investments and an embedded institutional and retail investment management business. Colony NorthStar currently has assets under management of $57 billion and manages capital on behalf of its stockholders, as well as institutional and retail investors in private funds, non-traded and traded real estate investment trusts and registered investment companies. In addition, Colony NorthStar owns NorthStar Securities, LLC, a captive broker dealer platform which raises capital in the retail market. The firm maintains principal offices in Los Angeles and New York, with more than 500 employees in offices located across 18 cities in ten countries. For additional information regarding Colony NorthStar and its management and business, please refer to www.clns.com.
About S2K Financial Holdings LLC
S2K Financial Holdings LLC is a New York City-based financial services organization encompassing S2K Financial LLC and S2K Servicing LLC. S2K Financial LLC is an independent wholesale broker dealer focused on delivering retail investor-focused financial products through innovative third party distribution strategies that support IBDs and RIA firms across the country. S2K Servicing LLC provides due diligence, operations, administrative and marketing services to institutional investment managers. S2K’s affiliated investment management business focused on corporate credit and energy will also be contributed into the company at closing. For more information, please visit http://www.s2kfinancial.com.
Learn more about Colony NorthStar, Inc. on the Blue Vault Sponsor Focus page.
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