DS Smith and The Carlyle Group have entered into exclusive discussions regarding the acquisition of the entire interest controlled by Carlyle in Otor. The contemplated transaction would involve, directly and indirectly, the sale of 94.75 per cent of the share capital of Otor. In addition, shares detained by Otor’s chairman

Private equity firm Riverside has sold court reporting firm Veritext, generating a 5.1x cash-on-cash return. Based in Florham Park, New Jersey, Veritext provides court-reporting services to law firms, large insurance companies, Fortune 500 corporations and regulatory agencies. It captures testimony given during depositions for litigation ranging from local negligence cases

Amalgamated Capital, the recently formed sponsor leveraged finance division of Amalgamated Bank, has served as lead arranger and administrative agent for a senior secured credit facility in support of the recapitalisation of Abrasive Products & Equipment by ShoreView Industries.   The amount of the facility was undisclosed. AmalCap provides cash

Bank of America, a provider of banking and other financial services, has completed the sale of First Republic Bank, a provider of private banking and wealth management services, to a consortium of investors. The consortium is led by First Republic’s existing management and includes investment funds managed by Colony Capital

Heidrick & Struggles International, an advisory firm providing executive search and leadership consulting services, has hired Richard Thackray and Jonathan Goldstein for its global private equity practice. Thackray joined the firm as a partner in London and Goldstein as a partner in New York. Both will focus on regional clients

The Aureos Latin American Fund has agreed to launch an investment scheme with Urbi, a home-developer in Mexico, to promote and finance low-income housing in Mexico. The scheme will provide low-income housing through both traditional mortgages and the Alternativa Urbi programme. Urbi’s rent-to-own programme provides access to housing to non-wage

Venrock, a venture capital firm originally established as the venture arm of the Rockefeller family, has closed Venrock VI, a USD350m diversified venture capital fund focusing on investments in early stage technology, healthcare and energy companies. With the close of Venrock VI, the firm holds approximately USD2.2bn under management. "The

Lyceum Capital has arranged an additional GBP25m of capital to support the growth of its portfolio firm Carewatch, the largest independent national homecare provider in the UK. The new capital, which includes additional debt facilities from Barclays Corporate and Clydesdale Bank, will enable management to continue its programme of internal