Jump to content

Reverta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Parex (bank))
Reverta AS
IndustryInvestment Banking
PredecessorParex Banka (founded 1992, nationalised 2008, split 2010)
FoundedLatvia (2012)
Headquarters,
Key people
Solvita Deglava
CEO, Chairperson of the Board
ProductsFinancial services, debt restructuring, real estate investing
−125,665 Euro (2023) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets1,648,407 Euro (2023) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
2,600
WebsiteReverta

Reverta is a professional-distressed asset management company headquartered in Latvia. With branches in Berlin, Stockholm, Tallinn and representative offices in Tokyo, Moscow, Kyiv, Baku and other cities, the company employs 2,600 staff in 14 countries.

History

[edit]

Parex Banka was founded in 1992 by Valery Kargin and Viktor Krasovickis as one of the early privately held banks of the post-Soviet era. It initially observed conservative lending practices, allowing it to weather a 1995 Latvian banking crisis and a 1998 Russian financial collapse which brought down Riga Commercial Bank. Emboldened by this initial success, it began to pursue an aggressive expansion into neighboring countries. In 2003, Parex Bank commissioned the building of a new 150,000-m2 headquarters in Riga. In 2005, it launched the first American Express cards in Latvia. The bank opened subsidiaries in Switzerland and Lithuania, operating successfully until the Financial crisis of 2007–2010.

Much of its lending was within the Baltic states and the bank was heavily exposed to the real estate bubble which followed Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia becoming full European Union members in 2004. Events leading to the September 15, 2008, failure of US bank Lehman Brothers led to a sharp drop in liquidity, causing international investors to withdraw assets.

Parex Bank was nationalised on November 8, 2008. The Latvian state bought 51% of the bank's stocks from the founders for a symbolic 2 Lats. In addition, 34% of the stocks were transferred to the state-owned Mortgage and Land Bank as a security.[1]

On August 1, 2010, Parex was split into good and bad banks, with the good bank spun off as Citadele banka.

Within days of the split, Parex sued both of its founders, accusing them of conflict of interest in their dealings with the bank.[2] In August 2010 it was announced that Chris Gwilliam would replace Nils Melngailis as chairman of the board and CEO.[3]

Parex continued to manage troubled and bad assets, but no longer functioned as a deposit-taking bank. The Parex banking licence was abandoned on March 15, 2012; the company became distressed asset management firm Reverta on May 8, 2012. Ms. Solvita Deglava, is (as of 2014) CEO and chairperson of the board.

Reverta defines itself as specialising in loan restructuring, legal recovery and real estate management with expertise in corporate finance, asset management, legal and security.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dagens Industri: Lettland tar över krisbank. (retrieved 2008-11-09)
  2. ^ "The once mighty fall further".
  3. ^ Baltic Business News - Chris Gwilliam to become new CEO of Parex Banka
[edit]