Schroders hit by Hong Kong property slump as banks seize assets

Schroders has become the latest global asset manager to be caught up in Hong Kong’s commercial property meltdown.

Within just a few months, two assets managed by its property investment arm have been seized by bank creditors.

Now it faces a new challenge relating to a loan for a three-floor commercial space at Harbourfront Landmark in Hong Kong’s Hung Hom district. The facility was not repaid on the original maturity date. The lender, Bank of Communications (Hong Kong), was now weighing various options for the loan including potentially demanding immediate repayment and then enforcing it, according to people familiar with the matter. No final decision has been made, they added.

Schroders’ losses underscore the increasing strain global firms face from Hong Kong’s slumping property market. Like many other financial sponsors, Schroders uses special purpose vehicles to act as borrowers for loans against its Hong Kong property assets. When troubles arise, lenders’ main option is to seize the underlying collateral, even if its value does not cover the outstanding debt.

In recent months, some bank creditors have ramped up pressure on firms with property-related debt in the city, as they see few signs of a market recovery and are eager to offload troubled assets. Average prices of office buildings and retail space in the city are down by 48 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively, from their 2018 highs, according to Hong Kong government data, eroding the value of collateral backing many bank facilities.

Schroders’ three troubled assets were part of its Pamfleet portfolio, which the company acquired in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and a crackdown on social unrest in Hong Kong. Pamfleet had US$1.1 billion of assets under management at the time of the acquisition, which Schroders said would add expertise in the Asian real estate market.