LatinFinance Announces 2005 Deal of the Year Awards

LatinFinance Magazine today announced the winners of its annual Deal of the Year contest for the best transactions of 2005.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) December 16, 2005 -- LatinFinance Magazine today announced the winners of its annual Deal of the Year contest for the best transactions of 2005. The magazine gave 20 awards across a variety of categories, including Best Corporate Finance Strategy, Best Sovereign Local Currency Bond, Best Cross-Border Merger & Acquisition and Best Investment Bank. The magazine received more than 100 entries ranging from landmark transactions such as Brazil’s $4.5 billion A-Bond issue to a $106 million, three-year loan facility for Mexico’s TFM rail company.

“Ample liquidity, low interest rates, strong investor support and Latin America’s encouraging economic outlook allowed companies and their investment banks to structure some highly innovative transactions this year,” said John Barham, LatinFinance editor.

All 20 winners will be featured in the February issue of the magazine, including interviews with key players in the transactions. The following is a complete list:

Best Corporate Finance Strategy

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce

Best Investment Bank

Credit Suisse First Boston

Best Sovereign Bond Issuer

Brazil

Best Sovereign Dollar Bond Deal

Brazil $4.5 billion 8% 13-year A-Bond

Best Sovereign Local Currency Bond Deal

Brazil R$3.4 billion 12.5% 10-year global bond

Best Quasi-Sovereign Bond Deal

Codelco $210 million 4% 20-year UF local bond

Best Corporate Bond Deal

Eletropaulo $474 million 19.125% five-year bond

Best Financial Institution Bond Deal

Bradesco $300 million 8.87% perpetual bond

Best Sovereign Liability Management

Argentina $81.8 billion debt restructuring

Best Corporate Liability Management

TFM $106 million 3-year loan facility

Best Initial Public Equity Offering

Aguas Metropolitanas $398 million IPO

Best Secondary Equity Offering

PIBB ETF $1.104 billion offering

Best Cross-Border Merger & Acquisition

SABMiller $7.8 billion purchase of Bavaria

Best Domestic Merger & Acquisition

Embratel $547.5 million purchase of Telmex do Brasil and 37.1% stake in Net Serviços de Comunicação

Best Hostile Takeover

Cencosud $602 million purchase of 71.1% of Almacenes Paris

Best Syndicated Loan

Techint $1.38 billion loan with 16-bank syndicate

Best Corporate Restructuring

Globopar $1.3 billion debt exchange

Best Project Finance Deal

Mexico City International Airport $400 million financing

Best Asset-Backed Transaction

Unibanco $200 million standby loan backed by asset-backed bonds

Best Derivative Transaction

Venezuela Treasury bill derivative swap structure

About LatinFinance

Miami-based LatinFinance was founded in 1988 and has charted the region's ups and downs ever since. The magazine covers Latin America's banking industry, financial systems and capital markets as well as providing in-depth analysis of broader economic trends. LatinFinance also publishes a range of statistical data on Latin American banks and financial transactions. The magazine appears 10 times a year, in English. Visit www.latinfinance.com for archived issues, corporate profiles and league table rankings.

Contact:

John Barham, Editor

(305) 357-4215

www.latinfinance.com

# # #