Blue Owl discovered financial "tricks" and withdrew loans, leading to the bankruptcy of a major mortgage giant in the UK

The American private credit giant Blue Owl Capital requested early repayment after discovering anomalies in the financial reports of the UK bridge loan institution Century Capital Partners, directly triggering the latter's entry into bankruptcy management. According to a report by the Financial Times on March 17, Blue Owl decided to accelerate the recovery of its subordinated debt after learning that Century Capital had fired a director due to financial discrepancies. This withdrawal of funds forced the bridge loan institution, which focuses on wealthy clients in London and surrounding areas, into bankruptcy proceedings. Century Capital owes creditors nearly £100 million. This bankruptcy event occurred just weeks before the collapse of another larger bridge loan institution, Market Financial Solutions. The latter's bankruptcy has already sparked fraud allegations and has put private credit companies providing funding under regulatory scrutiny. Bridge loan institutions primarily offer short-term mortgages, with clients typically being homebuyers who have not yet sold their original properties. The core business of Century Capital is to provide loans to wealthy individuals secured against properties in London and surrounding counties. Blue Owl manages assets exceeding $300 billion and is seen as a bellwether for the private credit industry. Due to the impact of related events and market concerns, its stock price has fallen by more than 40% year-to-date. Financial Anomalies Trigger Accelerated Debt Repayment As the bankruptcy restructuring process progresses, more key details about the collapse of Century Capital have emerged. According to documents obtained by the Financial Times and insiders, Blue Owl holds the riskiest "subordinated" portion of Century Capital's debt structure through its asset-backed lending division. After acquiring Atalaya Capital Management in 2024, Blue Owl took over the existing lending relationship between Atalaya and Century Capital, becoming its creditor. Bloomberg previously reported that Blue Owl's related debt exposure is approximately £36 million. The trigger for the crisis can be traced back to the end of 2025. Fundraising documents prepared by Century Capital founder Paul Munford to restart the business indicated that Century Capital had fired a director due to "discovered financial anomalies" and subsequently implemented several corporate governance reforms to "prevent such violations from recurring." However, the rectification did not restore creditor confidence. The documents state: "Despite active communication with all parties, subordinated creditors still decided to accelerate the recovery of their secured debts, directly leading to the company's entry into bankruptcy management." Currently, creditors have not made fraud allegations against Century Capital and its management but have clearly stated that their actions stem from discovering significant issues in financial reporting and internal controls The early departure of the auditing firm has further intensified doubts. Sopher + Co resigned a month before the company's bankruptcy, attributing the reason in a statement to the UK Companies House to "a large number of unpaid fees pending." RSM, responsible for the bankruptcy liquidation, stated in the restructuring documents that it expects to recover all funds to repay creditors, with a target to complete the loan book sale by March. The documents revealed that the peak size of the Century Capital loan book reached £165 million. Founder Prepares to Restart New Business As the aftermath of Century Capital's bankruptcy remains unresolved, its founder is planning a comeback. According to fundraising documents obtained by the Financial Times, Paul Munford is actively preparing to restart the bridge loan business under the name "Century London," with his son Freddie Munford continuing to lead the loan operations. The fundraising documents disclose that Century London will rely on off-balance-sheet loans from banks, private investors, and private credit institutions for financing. The documents cite market logic stating that traditional banks, constrained by tightening regulations and balance sheet limitations, have extended loan cycles, creating structural opportunities for private credit institutions. The consecutive collapses of Century Capital and Market Financial Solutions have pushed the risk exposure of private credit in the UK mortgage market into the spotlight. As the two bankruptcy events continue to unfold, the market expects regulators to strengthen scrutiny in this area