SNS, small become large to Do
ZEMBLA reconstructs how the acquisition of the real estate business of ABN Amro Fund the noose around the neck of SNS was
SNS Bank and SNS insurance are early this year by the Dutch government for 3.7 billion saved from bankruptcy. SNS, once a savings bank for the common man, wanted after the IPO in 2006, a major player in the banking world. For 810 million SNS bought the real estate business of ABN Amro Fund. But the purchase worth 8.8 billion shows no masterstroke, but a dramatic nightmare with a poor outcome. ZEMBLA reconstructs how this purchase became a noose around the neck of a bank.
Real Estate
Since 1995, real estate development, and thereby finance the construction of offices and business premises, for the large banks the means to make lots of money. But real estate is currently mainly in the hands of big banks like ING, ABN AMRO and Rabobank.
Amazement purchase
SNS, that money has to be spent after the IPO, buys the loan portfolio Fund and directs the real estate company SNS Property Finance. The surprise about this purchase is great, especially because SNS not about knowledge and expertise about real estate offers. P. Eichholtz, Professor of Real Estate Finance at the University of Maastricht, says in ZEMBLA:
"I thought, what are they doing? Realty may seem simple, but it is not. If you think without knowing just anything can do, you'll be slaughtered."
Too many messed
Not only did SNS no experience in the field of real estate development, also shows the newly degenerated loan portfolio is not as robust as expected. To reach that conclusion another, already known player in the real estate market: the developer R. Stroink who is the head of the real estate company TCN. In ZEMBLA he tells for the first time that he belonged to the candidates to take over the loan portfolio.
"I'm serious consideration or something for us," says Stroink in Zembla. "But halfway through the ride, I found that it was more complicated than I thought. Fund was a good club with a good reputation. I learned that that reputation was worse than I thought. Came loose stories subsequently unfortunately true appeared to be that too much was tampered. then do you not buy it. I do not want company where much tampered with. "
Loss-making projects
in the first year after the acquisition of the portfolio, the new real estate company SNS still profit. But in the years after stacking the loss of SNS Property Finance on. SNS should spend additional hundreds of millions to various loss-making projects at home and abroad.
La Cigüeña
One such project is La Cigüeña, coined by entrepreneur C. Priem: a residential care complex in Spain. The project is initially funded by Fund. After Fund SNS has taken over the project goes along to SNS Property Finance. Priem tells ZEMBLA that the real estate business was very enthusiastic about his plan and 25 percent of the profits of the project wanted to say. SNS also knew that Priem itself had no significant experience in real estate development. Still stuck the bank 50 million euros at La Cigüeña project. Priem: "I am not a developer, I'm much too soft for."
The loss of SNS Property Finance is between 50 and 60 million estimated that the La Cigüeña project one of the millstones around the neck of the now nationalized SNS is.
220 euros per Dutch
Nationalization of SNS by the State free of every Dutch 220 euros. D. van der Laan, a former board member of the former SNS Bank, says, in ZEMBLA:
"The Dutch taxpayer is provided assistance. If a bank aimed at ordinary citizens to operate properly and eventually will be a burden for the ordinary citizen, then there is a very bitter irony."
Zembla - 'SNS, become small by big do' Thursday, April 4 at 21.10 on Netherlands 2
SNS, klein geworden door groot te doen - Joop.nl