Merrill Lynch
Of the top 20 global M&A deals in the past 12 months, Merrill Lynch has advised on 10 of them. According to Dealogic, the firm tops the European rankings in the year to date and has advised on more of the top 25 US deals than any other investment bank in the past 12 months. The judges were impressed with the total number of deals and the breadth of coverage. In recognition of this, Merrill has been awarded M&A House of the Year for the second year running.
“We get involved in the number of deals that we do because of the consistency of our sector and product coverage; it is this consistency that wins the mandate. You have to combine a strong M&A team with a good industry team – and to be flexible,” says Philip Yates, co-head of global M&A and head of European investment banking.
Significant recognition was given for the additional complexities of the Carnival/P&O Princess dual-listed company transaction, which was the first of its type between an S&P listed company and a FTSE 100 company. Among other firsts was a dual-listed company being used to effect an acquisition rather than a merger, and a share offer being structured in conjunction with a dual-listed company transaction. The judges also commended Merrill on its deal for BP’s acquisition of TNK, the largest ever foreign investment into Russia.
“If there is one factor that we are proud of, it is our ability to make sure we build a team with both seasoned bankers and those with the specialist expertise required. They must work together in a hard, disciplined and unpretentious way. We have remained focused on what we want to achieve for our clients – and our prospective clients – and have worked hard to avoid complacency.”
