Practice Areas & Industries: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

Bracewell ranks consistently among the top law firms for merger and acquisition transactions in the financial industry. We have facilitated acquisitions, sales, mergers and roll-up transactions for major banks and financial institutions in more than 40 states. These transactions include:

• Bank-to-bank mergers
• Bank holding company whole bank acquisitions
• Savings banks and industrial loan company transactions
• Hostile takeovers
• Management buyouts
• Control, stake-out or passive private investments
• Branch acquisitions and divestitures
• Acquisition of insurance agencies, broker-dealers and finance companies
• Minority and joint venture investments
• Leasing and insurance matters
• Facilitated FDIC receivership acquisitions
• Foreign bank and foreign investor transactions.

Services Available

Our lawyers provide solutions grounded in real-world business strategy. We conduct effective due diligence reviews and are familiar with the key concerns of a prospective buyer or seller of a business. These issues include tax, labor and employment, employee benefits, real estate, environmental, and antitrust concerns, among others.

We also understand the interests of senior lenders and subordinated debt investors, and anticipate their requirements during negotiations. Transaction documents are structured to include representations, warranties and covenants that are acceptable to lenders, placement agents and underwriters.

We advise clients on all regulatory issues under the Bank Holding Company Act, Bank Merger Act, Change in Bank Control Act, and many other applicable federal and state statutes. In addition to standard antitrust clearances by the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and state regulators, our lawyers secure the required approvals of the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other federal and state regulators.