Lindquist & Vennum has been named the Midwest region’s leading legal advisor for bank mergers and acquisitions, according to SNL Financial, a national publisher of banking data and news. The firm’s banking attorneys advised Midwest-based clients through nine whole-bank transactions last year. Acting as counsel for an additional transaction in the Southeast U.S., the firm’s 10 transactions placed third in the nation in the number of whole-bank transactions in which it represented a bank buyer or seller.
Lindquist & Vennum has held a Top 10 position in the national rankings for more than a decade. Kevin Costley, co-chair of the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice Group, says, “2012 saw an increase in bank mergers and acquisitions. Banks that successfully weathered the recession are focusing on growth by strategic acquisitions.”
Steve Johnson, a partner in the Financial Institutions Practice Group added, “We’ve been building relationships with bank executives and owners across the country for more than 40 years, and many of them have spent their entire careers working with our firm. It’s gratifying to be able to guide them through the process of acquiring another institution or being acquired.”
Lindquist & Vennum’s Financial Institutions Practice Group offers guidance to more than 300 financial institutions ranging from privately owned and closely held banks to superregional financial holding companies. The group regularly advises clients in mergers and acquisitions, capital raising initiatives, complex regulatory issues, and strategic planning.
The SNL Financial league tables were published February 7 and reflect calendar year 2012 activity.