Paul Taylor, the former head of structured finance at NatWest, has clinched a £1.4bn (€2.1bn) deal for UK-based care homes operator Four Seasons Healthcare. His investment vehicle finally overcame the competition after a protracted nine-month bidding war.

Allianz Capital Partners, the in-house private equity arm of the German insurer, confirmed that it had sold Four Seasons to Three Delta, Taylor's exclusive investment vehicle for the state-backed Qatar Investment Authority. Dresdner Kleinwort, Allianz's investment bank, advised the private equity firm.