Considering that the private sector is always better at coming up with solutions to business problems than the public sector (i.e. government), there’s been ever increasing discussion that private equity should take a larger role in helping turn around the banks. The catch being pesky U.S. regulations. But as everyone should know, if there’s a law or rule then there is a way around it and private equity firms are beginning to find ways to bypass stipulations on bank ownership.
One method is to simply create a separate, unique fund without ties to a firm’s other funds which is what J. Chistopher Flowers of JC Flowers is doing. He’s created a fund under his own name that is not directly connected to his firm’s funds. This would allow him to take controlling interest of a financial institution (at least greater than 24.9% in the U.S.) while permitting JC Flowers & Co. to own other businesses, which they wouldn’t be allowed to due if they controlled more than that percentile threshold in a bank. Nicely done.
