NEW YORK, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Inc., today announced that its Project Finance team in the Americas added to its impressive list of recent honors by capturing six of Power Finance & Risk's 2018 industry awards, including one for Louise Pesce, who was named Project Finance Banker of the Year.

Ms. Pesce, a Managing Director and market veteran, was cited for her outstanding work on multiple high-profile deals in 2018, including the $1.2 billion financing for Capital Dynamics' acquisition of First Solar's and Sunpower's joint solar-yield company, 8point3 Energy. Since joining MUFG in 2007, she has been a significant contributor to its Project Finance team, which over the past decade has helped MUFG emerge as the top bank for project-finance loans in the Americas.

"This award represents far more than just Louise's exceptional work in 2018," said Alex Wernberg, a Managing Director who oversees the Power Banking practice within MUFG's Project Finance business. "As one of the power generation industry's leading bankers for many years, Louise has been at the forefront of this emerging sector throughout her stellar career. We are extremely proud of Louise and her accomplishments."

In addition to Ms. Pesce's award, the MUFG Project Finance team captured PFR's 2018 Project Finance Lead Arranger of the Year, Renewables Lead Arranger of the Year, and Conventional Power Lead Arranger of the Year. Led by Erik Codrington, the team was also recognized for its work as a bookrunner in two noteworthy transactions that earned:

• the North America Renewables/Battery Project Finance Deal of the Year and M&A Deal of the Year—for a bridge-to-bond facility in Capital Dynamics' $1.1 billion acquisition of 8point3 Energy; and
  
• the North America Conventional Power Project Finance Deal of the Year—for a term loan and revolving credit facility as part of the Woodbridge Energy Center's $545 million refinancing.

The team led two other notable high profile deals in 2018: the $2.1 billion loan facility for Starwood Energy's acquisition of GE's project finance portfolio, and the $475 million Term Loan B to Talen Energy.

"The power sector is rapidly evolving in the face of multiple challenges, including the need to meet growing demand while introducing alternative energy sources," Mr. Codrington said. "MUFG is committed to playing a pivotal role in this sector by providing our clients with competitive financing solutions to meet their complex and demanding needs."

The PFR awards add to the recognition MUFG's Project Finance team has gained for its 2018 performance, winning Global Bank of the Year honors from both IJGlobal and Project Finance International. In all, MUFG concluded 2018 as the No. 1 bookrunner for Project Finance in the Americas—its 10^th consecutive year atop the Thomson Reuters rankings.

Earlier this year, MUFG announced that it was the top Global Lead Arranger for clean-energy and energy-smart technologies' financings for the third consecutive year, according to Bloomberg's annual New Energy Finance League Tables. The 2018 Bloomberg rankings also marked the seventh time in the past nine years that MUFG led all private-sector banks in that category.

MUFG is the world's fifth-largest financial institution by assets with approximately $2.7 trillion.

About Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.'s U.S. Operations including MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation

The U.S. operations of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG), one of the world's leading financial groups, has total assets of $337.4 billion at December 31, 2018. As part of that total, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation (MUAH), a financial holding company, bank holding company and intermediate holding company, has total assets of $168.1 billion at December 31, 2018.  MUAH's main subsidiaries are MUFG Union Bank, N.A. and MUFG Securities Americas Inc. MUFG Union Bank, N.A. provides a wide range of financial services to consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. As of December 31, 2018, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. operated 352 branches, consisting primarily of retail banking branches in the West Coast states, along with commercial branches in Texas, Illinois, New York and Georgia, as well as 22 PurePoint^® Financial Centers. MUFG Securities Americas Inc. is a registered securities broker-dealer which engages in capital markets origination transactions, private placements, collateralized financings, securities borrowing and lending transactions, and domestic and foreign debt and equities securities transactions. MUAH is owned by MUFG Bank, Ltd. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. MUFG Bank, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Canada. Visit https://www.unionbank.com or www.mufgamericas.com for more information.

About MUFG

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world's leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo and with over 360 years of history, MUFG has a global network with approximately 3,000 locations in more than 50 countries. The Group has over 180,000 employees and offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing. The Group aims to "be the world's most trusted financial group" through close collaboration among our operating companies and flexibly respond to all of the financial needs of our customers, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world. MUFG's shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges. For more information, visit https://www.mufg.jp/english.

©2019 MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation