Lift loans affect Paladin and Deep Yellow
Charlotte Dudley
Mining Net News
TWO resource companies have become caught up in the collapse of financial group Lift Capital Partners, with Paladin Energy and Deep Yellow revealing a portion of their shares are subject to margin loan facilities with the failed company.
In separate statements the companies confirmed 15 million Deep Yellow shares and more than 13 million Paladin shares fell under the Lift margin loan facilities.
Sydney-based Lift went into voluntary administration last Thursday amidst margin lending woes. Securities the subject of the loan facilities are believed to be under the effective control of Merrill Lynch, which holds a more than $500 million stake with the failed financial company.
The Lift collapse has put a number of Paladin and Deep Yellow executives – and their shareholdings – under the spotlight.
More than 6.3 million Paladin shares owned by Paladin director Rick Crabb and more than 7 million shares owned by Paladin company secretary Gillian Swaby have been identified as being subject to Lift margin loan facilities.
Swaby is also a director at Deep Yellow, where 15 million of her shares in the uranium explorer have been swept up in the Lift margin lending facilities.
The shares involved represent only a portion of Swaby’s Deep Yellow shareholding.
In relation to the Lift-affected shareholdings, both Paladin and Deep Yellow said their staffers retained “beneficial ownership” of the stocks and were not in default under their respective facilities.
Crabb and Swaby said they had both arranged for settlement of the loan accounts prior to Lift entering administration but were now “ready, willing and able” to pay the full amount outstanding under their facilities.
The two executives said they had commenced legal proceedings to protect their interests in these shares.
Lift, which has around 1600 clients, passed into the hands of corporate recovery outfit McGrathNicol last week.
While it was unclear exactly what would evolve at Lift, McGrathNicol administrator Tony McGrath remained upbeat.
“It appears that the underlying value in the shares is good and it is expected that a reasonable return will be achieved,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“The immediate focus will be to work closely with management and other external parties to ensure that the value in the business is preserved.”
A creditor meeting has been convened for April 22.
Paladin shares fell 5.5% to $4.36 in morning trading, while shares in Deep Yellow gained half a cent to trade at 21c a share.
In separate statements the companies confirmed 15 million Deep Yellow shares and more than 13 million Paladin shares fell under the Lift margin loan facilities.
Sydney-based Lift went into voluntary administration last Thursday amidst margin lending woes. Securities the subject of the loan facilities are believed to be under the effective control of Merrill Lynch, which holds a more than $500 million stake with the failed financial company.
The Lift collapse has put a number of Paladin and Deep Yellow executives – and their shareholdings – under the spotlight.
More than 6.3 million Paladin shares owned by Paladin director Rick Crabb and more than 7 million shares owned by Paladin company secretary Gillian Swaby have been identified as being subject to Lift margin loan facilities.
Swaby is also a director at Deep Yellow, where 15 million of her shares in the uranium explorer have been swept up in the Lift margin lending facilities.
The shares involved represent only a portion of Swaby’s Deep Yellow shareholding.
In relation to the Lift-affected shareholdings, both Paladin and Deep Yellow said their staffers retained “beneficial ownership” of the stocks and were not in default under their respective facilities.
Crabb and Swaby said they had both arranged for settlement of the loan accounts prior to Lift entering administration but were now “ready, willing and able” to pay the full amount outstanding under their facilities.
The two executives said they had commenced legal proceedings to protect their interests in these shares.
Lift, which has around 1600 clients, passed into the hands of corporate recovery outfit McGrathNicol last week.
While it was unclear exactly what would evolve at Lift, McGrathNicol administrator Tony McGrath remained upbeat.
“It appears that the underlying value in the shares is good and it is expected that a reasonable return will be achieved,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“The immediate focus will be to work closely with management and other external parties to ensure that the value in the business is preserved.”
A creditor meeting has been convened for April 22.
Paladin shares fell 5.5% to $4.36 in morning trading, while shares in Deep Yellow gained half a cent to trade at 21c a share.