2 Big Firms Acquire Stakes in Koll Group

Two big financial companies have disclosed that they acquired major stakes in Koll Real Estate Group Inc. during the company’s reorganization in September.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday, Credit Suisse First Boston said it owns 918,761 shares, or 7.7%, of the Newport Beach company’s common stock. In a similar filing recently, Merrill Lynch & Co. said it owns 1,038,259 shares, or 8.7%, of the common stock.

The investment houses were major holders of Koll Realty bonds. In the reorganization, holders of $210 million in bonds traded their securities for 90% ownership of the company.

Other major new shareholders include the ING Barings Ltd. investment bank, Koll Realty finance chief Raymond J. Pacini said.