Twelve Steps for Successful Acquisitions
Oftentimes bankers and research analysts espouse the track records of acquisitive banks by focusing on the outcomes of transactions, not the work that went into getting them announced. As you and your board consider growing your bank franchise via purchases of, or mergers with, other banks, consider these steps as a guideline to better outcomes:
-
Prepare your management team
Does your team have any track record in courting, negotiating, closing and integrating a merger? If not, perhaps adding to your team is warranted. -
Prepare your board
Understand what your financial goals and stress-points are, create a subcommittee to work with management on strategy, get educated about merger contracts and fiduciary obligations. -
Prepare your largest shareholders
In many privately held banks there are large shareholders, families or individuals, who would have their ownership diluted if stock were used as currency to pay for another bank. It is important to get their support on your strategy as the value of their holdings will be impacted (hopefully positively) by your actions. -
Prepare your employees
While you cannot be specific about your targets until you need to broaden the “circle of trust,” let key employees know that their organization wants to grow via purchases. They will deal with the day-to-day reality of integration, get them excited that your organization is one they want to be with long-term. -
Prepare your counsel
Just as some bankers focus on commercial or consumer loans, some law firms focus on regulatory matters, loan documents or corporate finance. Does your current counsel have demonstrated experience in merger processes? In addition, your counsel should help to educate your Board about the steps required to complete a transaction. -
Prepare the Street
We have seen in recent months several large bank acquisitions announced where the market was unpleasantly surprised; a bank they viewed as a seller suddenly became a buyer. Some of these companies have since underperformed the broader bank market by 5 to 10 percent. If it has been several years between acquisitions, prep the market beforehand that you might resume the strategy. BB&T recently laid parameters for going back on the acquisition trail. And while their stock was down some on the news, it has since more than recovered. -
Prepare your IT providers
Most customers are lost when you close your transaction by the small annoyances that come with a systems conversion. Understand if your current core systems have additional capacity or begin to get systems in place that can grow as you grow. -
Prepare your regulator(s)
Whether it is the state, the FDIC, OCC or the Fed, they generally do not like surprises. Get some soft guidance from them on their expectations for capital levels and growth rates. Before you formally announce any merger, with your counsel, give the regulators a courtesy heads-up. -
Prepare your rating agency
If you are a rated bank, think about your debt holders as well as equity holders, especially if you need access to acquisition financing. Share with them the broad plan of growth and your tolerances for goodwill and other negative capital events. -
Prepare your financing sources
Do you have a line-of-credit in place at the holding company that could be drawn to finance the cash portion of acquisition consideration? Have you demonstrated that you can fund in the senior or subordinated debt markets, perhaps by pre-funding capital? Are there large shareholders willing to commit more equity to your strategy? -
Prepare your targets
If the Street does not know, and your shareholders do not know, and your bankers and lawyers do not know, then the targets you might have in mind also will not know you are a buyer. Courting another CEO is a time-consuming process, but completely necessary and should be started 12-18 months before you are in the position to pull the trigger. Your goal is to be on their “A” list of calls, and have the chance to compete, either exclusively or in a controlled auction process. -
Prepare to walk away
After you have done all this work, it is easy to get “deal fever” when that first process comes along. Sometimes you need to recognize it is a trial run for the real thing and be prepared to pack your bags and go home. The best deal most companies have ever done is the one they didn’t do.