UBS rules out lease at 3 WTC

Swiss lender UBS AG has called off negotiations to lease space at the World Trade Center as a result of disappointing second-quarter income, Bloomberg News reported. The bank had apparently been considering a move to Lower Manhattan from its current U.S. headquarters in Stamford, Conn. 

“UBS has been conducting a review of its real estate requirements in the tri-state area,” UBS said in a statement. “Part of this review involved discussions with World Trade Center management in downtown Manhattan. These discussions have been productive, but we are focused on Midtown alternatives at the present time.”

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The Zurich-based bank had been rumored to be a leading candidate to anchor Larry Silverstein’s 3 World Trade Center.

UBS’s withdrawal won’t negatively affect the outlook for leasing Trade Center offices, said Bud Perrone, a Silverstein spokesman. [Bloomberg]