The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) with misallocating more than $17 million in “broken deal” expenses to its private equity funds. The SEC found this to be a breach of KKR’s fiduciary duty.
An SEC investigation found that from 2006 to 2011, KKR incurred $338 million in broken deal or diligence expenses. Even though KKR’s co-investors, including KKR executives, participated in the firm’s successful transactions efforts, KKR largely did not allocate any portion of these broken deal expenses to them. According to the SEC Order, there was a partial allocation to certain co-investors in 2011.
The main KKR fund invested $30.2 billion in successful transaction, while co-investors put in $3.9 billion and KKR executives put in $750 million.
In June 2011, KKR began examining its allocation strategy and recognized a problem. That resulted in that first allocation in 2011. In January 2012, KKR implemented its new allocation policy and began charging less in broken deal expenses to the fund and some to co-investors and executives.
Then in 2013 OCIE knocked on KKR’s door and conducted an exam. During the exam, KKR refunded $3.26 million to the fund for mis-allocation from 2009 to 2011. The SEC wanted more and claimed that there was another $17.4 million in broken deal expenses that were improperly allocated to the fund based on the 2012 allocation policy.
The period in question goes back to 2006. That pre-dates KKR’s 2008 registration and most private equity fund’s Dodd-Frank registration in 2008. The SEC’s claim is under 206(4) of the Adviser Act which applies regardless of whether the fund manager is registered.
Sources:
- SEC Charges KKR With Misallocating Broken Deal Expenses
- SEC order
- Private equity firm KKR to pay SEC $30 million for misallocating expenses by Francine McKenna for MarketWatch