July 15 (Reuters) - Hellman & Friedman said on Thursday it had closed a $24.4 billion fund, the U.S. private equity firm’s largest ever, which will allow it to continue targeting large-scale investments. Hellman & Friedman Capital Partners X, the PE firm’s tenth fund, was “significantly oversubscribed and reached its hard cap”, it said. The fund also includes a $1.8 billion commitment from H&F. The latest fund brings H&F’s combined assets under management and committed capital to over $80 billion, the firm said. PE firms in general are amassing huge sums from investors, giving them a chance to look into fresh deals and acquisitions amid soaring valuations of target companies. So far in 2021, KKR & Co raised $18.5 billion and Bain Capital secured $11.8 billion from outside investors and employees for their respective flagship North American buyout funds.