Cleary Gottlieb represented Goldman Sachs as the initial purchaser in a Rule 144A/Reg. S offering by Berkshire Hathaway Finance Corporation, a wholly-owned finance subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., of $1.0 billion of 4.60% senior notes due 2013 and $1.0 billion of 5.40% senior notes due 2018. Berkshire Hathaway guaranteed the notes, which Standard & Poor’s Rating Services rated AAA and Moody’s Investors Service rated Aaa. This was Berkshire Hathaway’s second unsecured debt offering this year. Cleary Gottlieb represented Goldman Sachs as initial purchaser for each offering. The deal closed on May 13.
Berkshire Hathaway is an investment company headed by investment guru Warren E. Buffett. Its subsidiaries engage in diverse businesses, including property and casualty insurance (GEICO, General Re, National Indemnity), apparel manufacturing (Fruit of the Loom, H.H. Brown Shoe Group), building-materials manufacturing (Acme Brick, Benjamin Moore and Johns Manville) and other businesses (Buffalo News, Clayton Homes, See’s Candies, International Dairy Queen and The Pampered Chef).
