PeregrineT
Player Valuation: £40m
But it was literally backed by some of their assets. They didnt default because they were unable to pay it, clearly they could to the tun of more than the loan, $41.5 million in assets.They still defaulted on what is a rather small loan. It could have been backed by any other asset type.
You are assuming a lot about their motivation for defaulting. It could very likely have been because it was backed by assets that were worth $80 million, then when the R&Q shares dived, maybe they were then worth only $30 million, and they assumed it was financially better just to let them have the collateral. Then by the time the actual sale happened months later it had traded back up. There are more motivations for high end investors than just "we cant afford it". The smart ones also think "But should we", or "how can we work this to our advantage". Strategic default IS a thing.