Tishman Speyer Willing to Buy Back Portion of Debt

WASHINGTON, DC-Days after it was revealed that a joint venture led by Tishman Speyer was in danger of defaulting on a DC-based portfolio, the company has announced it is negotiating with the lenders for a modification.

The joint venture term loan and revolver debt totals approximately $570 million. The 6.3 million-square-foot portfolio consists of 14 properties in the District, along with seven suburban properties. The Tishman Speyer venture acquired in 2006 from CarrAmerica for $2.6 billion.

Last week news broke that the 21-office portfolio was in violation of a loan covenant on its revolving credit line when the cash flow began to dwindle. Rick Matthews, spokesperson for Tishman Speyer, says that as part of any restructuring it will make a tender offer to buy back a portion of the term loan and revolver debt. “If the debt tender is successful, and certain other issues are resolved, the ownership group will make a substantial new equity capital investment in the portfolio.” Matthews declined to comment further to GlobeSt.com, citing pending negotiations.

Tishman Speyer owns a number of properties in the DC area, some of which are not part of this portfolio, including International Square, Presidential Plaza and 1775 Pennsylvania Ave. After the news broke that Tishman Speyer was going into default, Standards & Poor’s lowered its credit rating on the portfolio, following a similar ratings cut earlier this year.