British Gas makes loan debut with Origin financing

Another multi-billion loan could hit western Europe’s market soon after BG Group’s $12.1bn unsolicited offer for Australia’s Origin Energy. HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Société Générale have been mandated to provide an unspecified quantity of debt. The underwriters say the deal — which would be BG’s first syndicated loan — is a chance to forge relationships with the company. But all big acquisition deals this year have relied heavily on existing relationship groups. Find out more on EuroWeek’s website later today and on Friday.