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.”
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]