How to Effectively Identify and Complete a Successful Merger or Acquisition of a Bank

Why Should You Attend:

Most experts believe that it will be tougher and tougher for smaller banks (i.e. banks with under $200 million in total assets) to turn a reasonable profit because of various issues. Many smaller rural banks are also struggling to find management talent and the next generation of owners in these banks don’t want to live in these smaller communities or own stock in a bank where they don’t live. All these factors may lead to a significant increase in merger and acquisition activity in the banking industry in the next 3 to 5 years.

Boards and senior management have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of their shareholders so it is essential that any acquisition should add to the long-term shareholder value of your organization. Too many things can go wrong in a deal including:

• You could pay well above market price for the target because you don’t have a good understanding of market conditions and the profitability potential of the target;
• You could miss some problem loans or other issue in due diligence that hurts your bottom line down the road; or,
• You could lose key employees at the target post acquisition that then leads to the loss of key customers that you paid so dearly for.

For these and other reasons, this webinar is a must to make sure you both identify the right target and perform effective due diligence and agreement negotiations.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• Current prices being paid and the market conditions for bank acquisitions.
• Factors shaping the M&A market in the future.
• How to create an effective M&A strategic plan that will help you identify and solicit targets that will add to the long-term shareholder value of your institution.
• Tasks to be performed in due diligence. All participants will be given a free due diligence checklist and sample document request list for attending.
• List of items to watch out for when completing due diligence that could lead to major problems of expenses down the road if they go undetected.
• Key clauses and reps and warranties to include in purchase agreement negotiations.
• Pros and cons of the various tax and legal structures to be used in an M&A transaction.
• Helpful insight to assist you in ensuring the regulatory approval process goes smoothly.

Who Will Benefit:

• Members of the board of directors
• Senior level executives
• Finance staff of community banks that may be considering entering into an M&A transaction or merger in the future

Instructor Profile:

Toby Lawrence is the president of Lawrence Advisory Services, a consulting firm that specializes in providing various valued added consulting services to banks and credit unions. Mr. Lawrence has almost 30 years of experience working in or serving financial institutions including serving as the president and CEO of a community bank and as a partner in two separate national CPA and consulting firms, McGladrey and CliftonLarsonAllen.

He has worked with hundreds of institutions in his career, ranging in size from $50 million to over $16 billion in total assets. He also served as a consultant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Housing Finance Authority that oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank system.

Topic Background:

Merger and acquisition activity in the banking industry has been slow the last few years except for troubled institutions that were forced to sell by regulators. The industry has rebounded and banks have cleaned up their loan portfolios, and for the most part, have returned to making money again. Banks are once again looking to grow and put their excess capital to work.

At the same time, there continues to be downward pressure on net interest margins because of all the additional competition from non-traditional lenders such as insurance companies and internet based institutions. The costs to remain regulatory compliant continue to escalate and many bankers are just plain tired from having to clean up problem credits from the recent economic crisis.

Finding and completing a successful acquisition is complex and difficult to achieve. Many banks are looking for an institution to acquire but often fail to submit a successful bid or don’t ever seem to even get to the table. When you decide grow through acquisition, it’s best to focus on finding a target that isn’t using a bid process because it will reduce the purchase price considerably and the target’s decision to sale remains confidential which will help in retaining customers post acquisition.

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