Legal News

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) yesterday released decreased thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR). The thresholds are indexed to changes in the gross national product (GNP). They normally increase year over year but have decreased this year because of the economic impacts of COVID-19......By: McDermott Will & Emery

US M&A Outlook: Rebounding Market Fuels Optimism for Deal Activity in 2021 - The U.S. M&A market faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dealmaking returned in full force by the end of the year, and economic and political conditions support a strong 2021 for U.S. M&A....By: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Transactions by special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, exploded in 2020, resulting in a 320% increase in the number of SPAC initial public offerings (IPOs) compared to 2019. SPACs have been around for 15 years and now are established as a legitimate alternative to a traditional merger or IPO. This is due in part to an evolution of the SPAC vehicle, which now offers enhanced investor protections and positions sophisticated managers as “sponsor teams” that guide the company through bot...

As required by the HSR Act, on February 1, 2021, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) released its annual adjustments to the reporting thresholds. The key number to remember is now $92 million. Note, this is a decrease from the $94 million threshold in 2020. Generally, transactions valued at $92 million or more must be reported and cleared by federal antitrust authorities before the transaction may close. The adjustments to the thresholds were published in the Federal Register on February...

On February 1, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the annual changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act notification thresholds. The FTC is required by law to revise the jurisdictional thresholds annually, based on the change in gross national product. Accordingly, the 2021 Hart-Scott-Rodino reporting thresholds will decrease by approximately 2.1% over 2020. These changes are expected to be published in the Federal Register on February 2, 2021 and will become effective 30 days...

The new National Security and Investment Bill, which aims to provide the Government with the necessary powers to scrutinise and intervene in business transactions to protect national security, will introduce a mandatory notification regime across 17 sectors in the UK economy. Although the Bill provides a carve-out for rights exercisable by administrators, insolvency practitioners will still need to be mindful of the risks that the Bill may have on distressed M&A transactions, which may be...By: ...

Welcome to the Akin Gump Global Private Equity/M&A Survey 2021: Opportunities Ahead. The last 12 months have been hugely challenging for dealmakers around the world but, after an initial period of disruption following COVID-19 lockdowns, activity has rebounded and merger and acquisition (M&A) investors are looking forward to 2021 with renewed optimism. Dealmaking has changed during the pandemic, but M&A participants have been resilient and flexible. Dealmakers have adapted to remote due...By: ...

HSR Act Thresholds - The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") recently announced the revised transaction thresholds that trigger the requirement to file a premerger notification and report form under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act ("HSR Act"). The FTC revises the thresholds annually based on changes in the gross national product....By: Hodgson Russ LLP

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on February 1 that it will lower the Hart­-Scott-­Rodino Act (HSR Act) jurisdictional and filing fee thresholds. Any transaction closing on or after March 4, 2021 will be subject to the revised thresholds....By: Morgan Lewis

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced its annual revisions to the thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR), which will apply to all transactions closing on or after March 4, 2021. The FTC is required under the Clayton Act to revise the HSR thresholds annually based on changes in the gross…...By: Holland & Knight LLP