BlackRock acquired substantially all the assets of Helix Financial Group. Helix Financial, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, provides advisory, valuation and analytics solutions to commercial real estate lenders and investors.
With this deal, which closed on Jan. 15, Helix will be fully integrated into BlackRock Solutions, a unit of BlackRock that offers a range of tools and services that assist institutions in understanding and managing their capital markets exposures and risks.
Helix's purchase further expands the commercial real estate capabilities of BlackRock Solutions, including its financial markets advisory group practice.
.
AllBridge Investments was most recently the lead stakeholder in Helix Financial Group. AllBridge, Helix management and other stakeholders have sold their shares in Helix Financial to BlackRock. AllBridge Investments, an affiliate of Allied Capital Corp., is an asset manager focused on the commercial real estate securities and loan sector.
Helix Financial will continue to provide advisory, credit and underwriting support to AllBridge Investments after the acquisition.
“We look forward to integrating Helix’s professionals into our modeling, advisory, valuation and loan workout practice in order to provide enhanced and superior service to our clients holding complex commercial real estate exposures,” said Craig S. Phillips, managing director and global head of the financial markets advisory group in BlackRock Solutions. “In addition to valuable industry relationships and asset class experience, Helix has unique technology, data and intellectual capital that will supplement our present commercial real estate analytics and workout capabilities.”
“Helix recognized that we needed a partner to accommodate the growing needs of our clients,” said Kevin Donlon, co-founder and managing partner of Helix. “In addition to facilitating the broader dissemination of our risk technology to clients, our affiliation with BlackRock will allow us to extend underwriting, valuation and asset management services to our clients on a fully integrated basis. At present, the considerable stress in commercial real estate valuations has created substantial client demand for the full range of our services.”
