Brownfields investing
AssigneeClhsm, LLC
InventorCheryl Hoffman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Brownfields investment vehicle, and a system and method for investing in Brownfields-relatedprojects are provided that are capable of supporting all aspects of a Brownfields remediation/development/redevelopment project, while shielding investors from environmental liability. The Brownfields fund makes, for example, non-recourse, participating capital investments or Brownfields Value Contracts (“BVC”) to a number of “special purpose vehicles” for specific Brownfields projects according to fund investment criteria determined by a fund manager. An investor's risk of incurring environmental liability is substantially reduced by providing that the Brownfields fund is completely passive with respect to the Brownfields project, taking no security or mortgage interest in the Brownfields.
Claims29
A method for investing in Brownfields, comprising:
- establishing a Brownfields fund, the Brownfields fund providing investment capital on a non-recourse basis for Brownfields projects and remaining passive with respect to the Brownfields projects;
- receiving investor capital from investors;
- approving an entity for the investment capital on the non-recourse basis for a respective one of the Brownfields projects according to predetermined criteria, the entity having an ownership interest in a Brownfields associated with the one of the Brownfields projects;
- and
- providing the investment capital on the non-recourse basis to the approved entity using at least some of the investor capital from the investors.
A Brownfields investment vehicle, comprising:
- a Brownfields fund providing investment capital to at least one approved entity on a non-recourse basis for at least one project involving at least one Brownfields without taking an ownership interest in the at least one Brownfields, the Brownfields fund remaining passive with respect to the at least one project, receiving investor capital from at least one investor and providing a return on investment to the at least one investor.
A method for managing a Brownfields fund, comprising:
- storing in a computer system information relating to a Brownfields fund;
- accepting investor capital from at least one investor;
- storing information in the computer system relating to the at least one investor, the stored information including investor identification information, investment amounts, and terms of investments;
- storing information in the computer system concerning an entity and a project involving a Brownfields, the entity having an ownership interest in the Brownfields;
- approving the entity and the Brownfields project according to predetermined criteria using the information stored in the computer system concerning the entity and the Brownfields project;
- and
- providing investment capital by the Brownfields fund to the approved entity for the approved Brownfields project on a non-recourse basis without taking any ownership interest in the approved Brownfields project.
A method of investing in Brownfields, comprising:
- providing investor capital by an investor to a Brownfields fund in accordance with predetermined terms of investment, the Brownfields fund providing investment capital on a non-recourse basis for Brownfields projects and remaining passive with respect to the Brownfields projects, the Brownfields fund approving an entity for the investment capital on the non-recourse basis for a respective one of the Brownfields projects according to predetermined criteria, the entity having an ownership interest in a Brownfields associated with the one of the Brownfields projects, the investment capital being provided on the non-recourse basis to the approved entity using at least some of the investor capital from the investor without taking any ownership interest in a Brownfields property associated with the one of the Brownfields projects;
- and
- receiving by the investor a return on investment, the return on investment being determined as a function of the predetermined terms of investment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.