Disclaimer :

The Competition DG makes the information provided by the notifying parties in section 1.2 of Form CO available to the public in order to increase transparency. This information has been prepared by the notifying parties under their sole responsibility, and its content in no way prejudges the view the Commission may take of the planned operation. Nor can the Commission be held responsible for any incorrect or misleading information contained therein.

SECTION 1.2

Description of the concentration

1.On 11 November 2014, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 pursuant to which The Blackstone Group L.P. and Koala HoldCo, LLC (affiliated with TPG Global, LLC and TPG Special Situations Partners, LLC (TPG)) will acquire joint control of an existing company Kensington Group plc and certain Investec Bank plc assets (Kensington).

The areas of activities of the undertakings concerned are as follows:

a) The Blackstone Group L.P. is a global alternative asset manager and provider of financial advisory services.

b) TPG is a global private investment firm. The private investment funds of TPG invest in a variety of companies through acquisitions and corporate restructuring.

c) Kensington is a residential mortgage lender based in the United Kingdom, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom. Kensington focuses on originating specialist prime residential and buy-to-let mortgages through relationships with adviser networks, mortgage clubs and estate agencies.

Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel, BELGIË

Tel: +32 229-91111. Fax: +32 229-64301. E-mail: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu.