In London, 30 St. Mary Axe — a pickle-shaped office tower known as the Gherkin that was designed by Norman Foster — was on the brink of changing hands for $1.1 billion. And in New York, shareholders of Chiquita Brands International, the banana producer, were finally leaning toward selling the company, for $1.3 billion.
The buyer for both of these assets was the Safra Group, the investment arm of a storied financial family that strives for secrecy.
Today run by Joseph Safra, the last surviving son of the patriarch who built the family’s initial fortune, the Safra Group manages billions of the family’s personal money. Worth an estimated $14.5 billion according to Forbes, Mr. Safra, 76, is the world’s richest banker.
In addition to the family’s vast and growing real estate holdings, its fortune is bolstered by a network of international banks, including Banco Safra in Brazil, J. Safra Sarasin Holding in Switzerland and Safra National Bank of New York. In total, the family and its banks have more than $200 billion under management, and stockholder equity of more than $15 billion.
With the latest deals, the Gherkin became the face of a Safra real estate portfolio, which includes over 100 properties around the globe, including the 660 Madison Avenue office complex in Midtown Manhattan, and several prime locations in SoHo in Lower Manhattan.
“Their real estate philosophy is very similar to their banking philosophy,” said a person who has worked with the Safra family on property deals and spoke on the condition that he not be named because he did not want to jeopardize his relationship with the family. “It’s really about the preservation of wealth. They look to buy to hold, rather than to sell.”
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In recent months, however, Mr. Safra has branched out with back-to-back deals for well-known assets that thrust the family back into the headlines.
Mr. Safra believes the price he paid for the Gherkin was a bargain, according to people close to the family. The building was sold out of bankruptcy, and in a subtle change of tack, the Safras believe they have the opportunity to make improvements and raise rents, increasing profits from the building sooner rather than later.
A version of this article appears in print on 02/19/2015, on page B1 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Two Deals Bring Attention to a Banking Family.
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