Mesirow Sells $8B Hedge Funds-of-Funds Unit

A “significant” portion of the Mesirow Advanced Strategies staff is expected to join Lighthouse Investment Partners in the merger.

Lighthouse Investment Partners is based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (Bigstock)

Lighthouse Investment Partners is based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

(Bigstock)

Lighthouse Investment Partners has agreed to purchase Mesirow Advanced Strategies, the multi-manager hedge fund business of Mesirow Financial.

The acquisition, announced Friday, is expected to close mid-year. A “significant” portion of the Mesirow Advanced Strategies team will join Lighthouse in investment oversight, operational support, and client service roles, the firms said.

“The combination of Lighthouse’s industry-leading managed account platform and strong track record, coupled with MAS’s strengths in less liquid strategies, such as credit and other lending strategies, creates what we believe is a unique offering of which our clients will benefit,” said Richard Price, chairman and CEO of Mesirow Financial, in a statement.

[II Deep Dive: Funds-of-Funds Most Likely to Receive Preferential Hedge Fund Terms]

Lighthouse will acquire “substantially all” of the Mesirow Advanced Strategies assets, the firms said. Lighthouse currently manages $11 billion, while Mesirow Advanced Strategies has $8 billion under management.

“We are excited to welcome a group of talented professionals and highly valued clients to the organization,” Sean McGould, president and co-CIO of Lighthouse, said in the statement.

Following the merger, Mesirow Financial is expected to serve as a distribution partner for Lighthouse. Price said the companies would be “partnering together to create products within the broader Mesirow and Lighthouse structures.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Related