Report: TCW Plans Real Estate Debt Strategy After $3.25B Nippon Life Backing

Los Angeles-based TCW Group plans to launch a real estate debt strategy as the firm seeks to grow its alternatives business and compete in the private credit industry, CEO Katie Koch told Bloomberg.

Koch said the new strategy aims to provide privately arranged debt to borrowers for core real estate and value-add credit. She also said that TCW is aiming for more partnerships instead of acquisitions to diversify its portfolio within the private credit market.

Koch’s discussion of plans for the new strategy follows the firm’s December 12 announcement, as previously reported by Dakota, that it received a commitment of $3.25B from Nippon Life Insurance that would both increase the Japanese insurer’s minority stake in the asset manager but also support its expansion into alternative credit strategies.