DEUTSCHE BANK AG 
By 
LONDON (Reuters) - European private equity fund Permira said on Thursday it had agreed to buy investment manager Tilney from Deutsche Bank (>> Deutsche Bank AG) as it looks to create a wealth manager with 9 billion pounds of assets.
The new company will be created by merging Tilney's regional businesses with Bestinvest, an investment adviser firm acquired by Permira last year with 5.1 billion pounds of assets under management, to help broaden the reach of both firms.
"This will propel the combined group right up to the top of the table in the UK market," said Jason Hollands, Managing Director at Bestinvest.
Tilney provides investment services to wealthy individuals and controls 3.5 billion pounds of assets. It is currently owned by Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management (A&W).
Permira, which is awaiting regulatory approval for its acquisition of Bestinvest from 3i (>> 3i Group plc) in November 2013, is hoping to create large managers from what it called a "fragmented" industry populated by smaller firms.
"They were very clear (when they took over) that they saw consolidation opportunities in the industry," said Hollands.
The interest of bigger players in the UK fund industry also arose on Wednesday when US hedge fund Elliott Management acquired derivatives equivalent to a stake of almost 11 percent in Britain's F&C Asset Management (>> F&C Asset Management plc).
The deal will see Bestinvest take over Tilney's regional offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool, expanding its footprint in the areas, while allowing Tilney to capitalise on Bestinvest assets such as its online platform.
Deutsche A&W will retain Tilney's London office. The merger is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2014.
Private assets under management in Britain totalled almost 50 billion pounds in 2013, data from Private Asset Managers Online showed.
Permira were advised by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Fenchurch Advisory. Deutsche A&W was advised by its in-house M&A team and Clifford Chance.
(Reporting by Freya Berry; Editing by Stephen Powell)
