Blackstone Group, a New York-based financial advisory and asset management company, has been buying bank-owned homes throughout the state and turning them into rental properties, recently moving into Manatee and Sarasota counties and possibly setting its sights on Charlotte County.

Christine Anderson, senior vice president for the company’s public affairs office, would not confirm or deny an Associated Press report that the company was looking to buy homes in Charlotte County on Tuesday, citing competitive interests. But the company has already invested heavily in what it considers the “Tampa market,” purchasing more homes in the Tampa Bay area than anywhere else in the state.