Facing more than $37 billion in subprime-related write-downs, UBS AG announced today a preliminary deal with New York-based asset manager BlackRock Inc. to sell off some of its troubled assets.
As part of the deal, the Zurich, Switzerland-based bank would sell BlackRock a portfolio of subprime mortgages valued at just over $20 billion for a discounted price of $15 billion, according to the published reports.
The deal with BlackRock comes on the same day that Switzerland’s largest bank reported a first-quarter loss of $11 billion due in large part to $19 billion in write-downs tied to the struggling U.S. real estate market.
A spokeswoman for BlackRock confirmed that UBS had announced the deal in principle, but would not say if the portfolio had been purchased at a discount rate.
UBS press office didn’t immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
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