• Unlike in the U.S., underwriting
standards for qualifying mortgage borrowers in Canada have been maintained at prudent levels resulting in mortgage borrowers here being much more creditworthy; • Canadian mortgage lenders never
offered low initial «teaser» rate mortgages that led to most of the difficulties for mortgage borrowers in the U.S.; • Most mortgages in Canada are held by their original lender, not packaged and sold to third parties as is typical in the U.S., and consequently, Canadian mortgage lenders have a vested interest in ensuring that their mortgage borrowers are creditworthy and not likely to default; • Only 0.3 % of Canadian mortgages are in arrears versus 4.5 % in the U.S. and what even before the start of the U.S. housing meltdown two years ago was 2 %; • Canadians tend to pay down their mortgage faster than in the U.S. where mortgage interest is deductible from taxes, which encourages U.S. homeowners to take
equity out of their homes to finance other spending, a difference that is reflected in the fact that in Canada mortgage debt accounts for just over 30 % of the value of homes, compared with 55 % in the U.S.
Significant matters / transactions include: Advised Xstrata South Africa (Proprietary) Limited on its
offer to purchase Lonmin plc's entire issued share capital, # 5 billion Advised Telkom SA Limited on its unbundling of a 35 % stake in Vodacom Group (Proprietary) Limited, R35 billion Advised Edgars Consolidated Stores Limited on its acquisition by Bain Capital, R25, 5 billion Advised The
Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and FirstRand Bank Limited (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) on the introduction of BEE
equity participation in Sasol Limited and their arranging financing therefore, R25, 4 billion Advised FirstRand Bank Limited (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) and Nedbank Limited (acting through its Nedbank Capital division) as lenders to Richards Bay Titanium (Proprietary) Limited and Richards Bay Mining (Proprietary) Limited, R19 billion Advised Citibank N.A. on a bridge loan granted to Turquoise Moon Trading 427 (Proprietary) Limited by Citibank N.A. and JP Morgan Chase, R10 billion Advised British American Tobacco plc on its secondary listing on the JSE, R550 billion Advised Pioneer Foods Limited on its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange, R6 billion Advised the South African National Roads Agency Limited in respect of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project involving the construction and upgrade of the Gauteng freeway and the procurement of an open road tolling system, R44 billion Advised Absa Bank Limited (acting though its Absa Capital division), FirstRand Bank Limited (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) and Vunani Capital (as co-lead arrangers) and the South Africa National Roads Agency Limited (as issuer) on the establishment of its South African Guaranteed Domestic Medium Term Note Programme and the subsequent issue of notes thereunder, R32 billion Advised Shoprite Checkers (Proprietary) Limited on the proposed Brait Private Equity private equity buy - out (this did not proceed), R12 billion Advised Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited and various shareholders on the acquisition by Capitalworks Private Equity SP GP (Proprietary) Limited and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa Limited of a 20 % equity stake in Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited from various shareholders, R511 million Clients include: Multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and Gove
equity participation in Sasol Limited and their arranging financing therefore, R25, 4 billion Advised FirstRand Bank Limited (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) and Nedbank Limited (acting through its Nedbank Capital division) as lenders to Richards Bay Titanium (Proprietary) Limited and Richards Bay Mining (Proprietary) Limited, R19 billion Advised Citibank N.A. on a bridge loan granted to Turquoise Moon Trading 427 (Proprietary) Limited by Citibank N.A. and JP Morgan Chase, R10 billion Advised British American Tobacco plc on its secondary listing on the JSE, R550 billion Advised Pioneer Foods Limited on its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange, R6 billion Advised the South African National Roads Agency Limited in respect of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project involving the construction and upgrade of the Gauteng freeway and the procurement of an open road tolling system, R44 billion Advised Absa Bank Limited (acting though its Absa Capital division), FirstRand Bank Limited (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) and Vunani Capital (as co-lead arrangers) and the South Africa National Roads Agency Limited (as issuer) on the establishment of its South African Guaranteed Domestic Medium Term Note Programme and the subsequent issue of notes thereunder, R32 billion Advised Shoprite Checkers (Proprietary) Limited on the proposed Brait Private
Equity private equity buy - out (this did not proceed), R12 billion Advised Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited and various shareholders on the acquisition by Capitalworks Private Equity SP GP (Proprietary) Limited and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa Limited of a 20 % equity stake in Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited from various shareholders, R511 million Clients include: Multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and Gove
Equity private
equity buy - out (this did not proceed), R12 billion Advised Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited and various shareholders on the acquisition by Capitalworks Private Equity SP GP (Proprietary) Limited and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa Limited of a 20 % equity stake in Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited from various shareholders, R511 million Clients include: Multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and Gove
equity buy - out (this did not proceed), R12 billion Advised Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited and various shareholders on the acquisition by Capitalworks Private
Equity SP GP (Proprietary) Limited and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa Limited of a 20 % equity stake in Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited from various shareholders, R511 million Clients include: Multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and Gove
Equity SP GP (Proprietary) Limited and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa Limited of a 20 %
equity stake in Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited from various shareholders, R511 million Clients include: Multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and Gove
equity stake in Reclamation Holdings (Proprietary) Limited from various shareholders, R511 million Clients include: Multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and Government