Deals
JPMorgan’s $20 Billion EA Financing to Be Split Among Banks
Around 15 banks are likely to join the underwriting group, some as early as next week.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergThe consortium buying Electronic Arts Inc. is set to add more than a dozen banks to its underwriting group after JPMorgan Chase & Co. put up $20 billion of debt to bankroll the leveraged buyout.
The deal, orchestrated by the buyers of the video-game maker — private equity firm Silver Lake Management, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners — would shift some risk off of JPMorgan by bringing other financial firms into the fold. A number of banks have signed non-disclosure agreements and have been through credit committees, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.