Danbury, CT, March 15, 2007 – GE Capital Solutions, the business-to-business
leasing, financing and asset management unit of General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE)
and The Blackstone Group, through its affiliates, today agreed to acquire PHH
Corporation (NYSE:PHH) in an all-cash transaction for $31.50 per share or
approximately $1.8 billion.
Headquartered in Mount Laurel, NJ, PHH Corporation comprises PHH Arval, a
North American fleet management services provider, and PHH Mortgage, a retail
originator and servicer of residential mortgages in the United States. PHH
Corporation will be purchased by GE, which will retain PHH Arval and sell PHH
Mortgage to Blackstone immediately after closing.
Based in Sparks, MD, and with approximately $5 billion in assets, PHH Arval
provides outsourced vehicle fleet management solutions to corporate clients,
including nearly one-third of the Fortune 500 companies. Through consultative
expertise, flexible customer service, and award-winning Internet technology, PHH
Arval helps clients reduce costs and increase productivity in managing their
fleets. PHH Arval has been serving the fleet industry for more than sixty years.
"We believe the integrated financing and services we offer can help customers
optimize fleet performance by helping them acquire, manage and sell company
vehicles," said Richard Laxer, president and CEO, GE Capital Solutions.
“Combining with PHH will enable us to provide our customers with a greater level
of service to meet their growing needs and challenges.”
“The fleet management industry is changing rapidly, and issues such as the
environment, safety, telematics, global reach and continued cost effectiveness
are increasingly important,” said George J. Kilroy, president and CEO of PHH
Arval. “PHH Arval and GE together can bring the focus needed for these
opportunities to expand the impact of fleet management and create measurable
value for our customers.”
“Our businesses share a common commitment to customer service, innovation and
using technology to maximize the value of our customers’ fleets. The combination
of our businesses will allow us to better serve our customers in achieving their
sales, service and delivery performance goals,” added Bob Mitchell, president
and CEO of GE Capital Solutions, Fleet Services. The acquisition is subject to
PHH shareholder and regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. It is
expected to close in the third quarter of 2007.
Lehman Brothers advised GE and Blackstone on this transaction. JP Morgan also
served as an advisor to Blackstone. Legal representation was provided by Weil,
Gotshal, & Manges LLP and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP to GE and
Blackstone, respectively.
About PHH Corporation
Headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, PHH Corporation is a leading
outsource provider of mortgage and vehicle fleet management services. Its
subsidiary, PHH Mortgage, is one of the top ten retail originators of
residential mortgages in the United States and its subsidiary, PHH Arval, is a
leading fleet management services provider in the United States and Canada. For
additional information about the company and its subsidiaries, visit www.phh.com.
About The Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group, a global private investment and advisory firm, was
founded in 1985. Blackstone’s Private Equity arm has a long track record
investing in the financial services sector and is currently investing an $18
billion private equity fund. In addition to Private Equity, Blackstone’s other
core businesses include, Private Real Estate Investing, Corporate Debt
Investing, Hedge Funds, Mutual Fund Management, Private Placement, Marketable
Alternative Asset Management and Investment Banking Advisory Services. Further
information is available at www.blackstone.com.
About GE Capital Solutions
GE Capital Solutions, Fleet Services (www.gefleet.com) based in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota, is a global fleet management company. It is part of GE Capital
Solutions and has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan,
Australia and New Zealand.
GE Capital Solutions (www.ge.com/capitalsolutions) provides leasing, lending and
capital investment products and services to help business customers grow. It has
over $100 billion in assets, serves more than a million clients around the world
and is headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut.
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work -- a diversified technology, media and
financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest
problems. With products and services ranging from power generation, water
processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer
financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more
than 100 countries and more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information,
visit www.ge.com.