Mergers & Acquisitions

M&A is risky business, but a successful integration can make the headaches worthwhile. A disciplined approach puts the best acquirers at the front of the pack.

The level of detail involved in an M&A transaction proposal can be overwhelming, and from a board member’s perspective, it’s often hard to see the forest for the trees.

Patrick Ramsey, head of Americas Mergers & Acquisitions for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, offers eight assumptions the board should test to ensure a proposed transaction is on solid ground.

We recently contacted Kate Barton, Americas vice chair, Tax Services, Ernst & Young LLP, to outline the ways in which tax issues are increasingly becoming an important component driving deal strategy and likelihood of success.

Dealing with controlling stockholder transactions? There are a number of steps directors can take to make the process go smoothly and help avoid costly judgments.

Alston & Bird LLP Partners David E. Brown, Jr. and Richard Willis, along with Rick Childs, director, Financial Institutions Practice, Crowe Horwath LLP, discuss trends shaping the financial services sector in the fourth quarter 2011 edition of Corporate Board Member's Board Focus on M&A special supplement. Read their insights on how delayed rulemakings as a result of Dodd-Frank will continue to affect decisionmaking in the boardroom, as well as the mindsets of buyers and sellers, and how long-term strategic plans play a role in shaping whether or not their outlook is pessimistic or optimistic.

A recent report by IntraLinks found a 24% increase in global M&A deal activity for first quarter 2011 compared to the same period last year. Every region experienced an upswing in deal activity year- over-year for the first quarter, with Latin America posting the largest gain at 39%.

Our industry experts anticipate this year’s M&A activity in the Manufacturing & Industrials Sector to outpace 2010. The search for growth, along with healthy capital markets, is driving a pickup in crossborder deals and international deals are on the upswing thanks to companies with built-up cash reserves looking to expand their global footprint. Alston & Bird Partners Hunter Holliday and Scott Ortwein join Crowe Horwath Partner Mike Luxe to discuss these trends and more.

Recently there have been more than 40 China-based companies that have stopped trading, been subject to securities fraud allegations from the SEC or private investors, and/or had auditors resign citing lack of confidence in or actual knowledge of misstatements by company management.

Read about the synergies health care companies are looking for in potentials deals, what private equity plays are evolving, and why health care company directors are cautiously proceeding with an eye on reducing costs and improving efficiency.