Four More Banks Back Vivendi Loan

Four additional lenders will back the 3.5 billion euro ($5.12 billion) loan secured by Vivendi for its purchase of both Activision and French telecom provider Neuf Cegetel. Citing a banking source, Reuters reported that mandated lead arrangers Bank of America, Barclays, Credit Mutuel-CIC and Natixis will join Societe Generale, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Fortis Bank, who have underwritten the loan. When recently announcing the prior underwriting, Vivendi revealed that 1.5 billion euros ($2.2 billion) of the loan will be in the form of a "bridging loan" that will be repaid when the Neuf Cegetel acquisition is complete. Another 2 billion euros ($2.93 billion) will come by way of a "revolver" facility that will be paid to Vivendi in parts, 1 billion over 3 years, and another over 5. According to Reuters, the loan will be syndicated to a wider group of banks shortly.