Reuters
Signa, the property empire founded by tycoon Rene Benko, has been one of the biggest casualties of Europe's real estate crisis, with creditors filing claims worth billions of euros. The group's holding company, which sits at the centre of a web of hundreds of firms, has declared insolvency, as have its two main units, Signa Prime and Signa Development. Signa Prime holds some of the group's best-known assets such as department stores KaDeWe in Berlin, Alsterhaus in Hamburg, Oberpollinger in Munich, and Vienna's Park Hyatt luxury hotel.