US venture capital firms raised USD3.6bn in the first quarter of 2010 from 32 funds, according to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. This level marks a 31 per cent decline, by dollar commitments, compared to the first quarter of 2009, and a 44 per cent decline by

Angelo Gordon’s Net Lease Group has acquired the headquarters and sole North American distribution centre of Claire’s Stores, located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, for USD18.1m. Claire’s has been a portfolio investment of Apollo Management since 2007. Claire’s is a mall-based retailer of value-oriented fashion accessories and jewellery with two brands:

Private equity firm Advent International has held the final close of its Latin American Private Equity Fund V at USD1.65bn. The fund, which was oversubscribed, is the largest private equity fund ever raised for Latin America. It is more than 25 per cent larger than Advent’s previous fund dedicated to

Private equity firm Denham Capital Management has made an equity investment in Trans-Tasman Resources, which explores and develops iron sands deposits off the North Island of New Zealand. TTR holds a prospecting permit granting exclusive mineral rights over 6,319 square kilometres of seabed in two offshore areas. TTR’s initial prospecting

DX Group, the UK and Ireland’s largest independent mail and courier company, has agreed to a capital refinancing and a management buy-in led by Petar Cvetkovic and David Hoare. DX Group’s main shareholder, the private equity house Candover Partners, as manager of the Candover 2005 Fund, is to inject fresh

New York-based private equity firm Hudson Ferry Capital has made an investment in Mason Dixon Energy, the largest provider of land services to oil and gas companies east of the Mississippi. Mason Dixon Energy provides the following land services for its clients in the exploration and production, pipeline and electrical

BNY Mellon Asset Servicing has been named custodian by The Ohio State University for its Long-Term Investment Pool. BNY Mellon will provide custody and accounting for more than USD1.9bn in endowment assets. It will also deliver its suite of performance and risk analytics services and complete administrative support for the

Better Capital says the Becap Fund has completed its second acquisition by backing the management buyout of the UK business of Reader’s Digest in a transaction valued at GBP13m. The management team will be led by Reader’s Digest managing director Chris Spratling. The business employs 100 people and markets magazines,