Overview Porter White & Company (“PW&Co”) reviewed almost 4,000 community bank M&A transactions since 2001 to ascertain the impact, by county, of county economic standing (as measured by GDP) on deal activity and transaction pricing. We believe this analysis may be useful as Alabama banks work through the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A… Read More >
News & Insights
COVID-19 Impact on Valuation – When was it known or knowable?
During the past few weeks, business owners have been thrust into a new normal and forced to evaluate the potential short-term and long-term implications of COVID-19 on their businesses, employees, and families. One word that I have heard in almost every conversation with business owners and investors over the past month is “uncertainty”. In the… Read More >
Birmingham Area Economic Report, Q3 2019
This report explores a few key statistics that paint a picture of the Birmingham area economy. Our Birmingham Area Economic Report places the Birmingham area economy in a state, regional and national context. Click here to download the full report with a more in-depth look at the statistics. The charts below show a snapshot of… Read More >
The Importance of an Investment Policy Statement
I. Overview A written investment policy statement (IPS) provides guidelines and directions for the conscientious fiduciary. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) does not include a specific requirement that plans have a written IPS. The concept of a documented IPS comes from the fiduciary duty of prudence established under both ERISA and the common… Read More >
Making the Most of Year-End Giving
As the year comes to a close, you may be thinking of making financial gifts in addition to trying to buy a relevant gift for the picky tween in your life. Here are a few guidelines for both charitable gifts and gifts to friends and family. I. Charitable Gifts With the passage of the Tax… Read More >
First Southern State-Vantage Merger Complete
On October 31, 2019 First Bancshares of Stevenson, Inc. of Stevenson, AL (“FBS”) and Vantage Bancshares, Inc. of Albertville, AL announced the closing of their merger which combines two well-respected banking franchises and creates a $525 million institution. The company operates 10 locations as First Southern State Bank (subsidiary of FBS) in four northeast Alabama… Read More >
River Bank-Trinity Bank Merger Complete
On October 31, 2019 River Financial Corporation of Prattville, AL and Trinity Bancorp, Inc. of Dothan, AL announced the closing of their merger which combines two well-respected banking franchises and creates a $1.30 billion institution operating in three of Alabama’s four largest markets. The deal consideration was a mix of cash and River common stock…. Read More >
Birmingham Area Economic Report, Q2 2019
This report explores a few key statistics that paint a picture of the Birmingham area economy. Our Birmingham Area Economic Report places the Birmingham area economy in a state, regional and national context. Click here to download the full report with a more in-depth look at the statistics. The charts below show a snapshot of… Read More >
What’s It Worth, Summer 2019
U.S. private equity deal activity remains robust and continued fundraising and private equity dry powder (funds raised but not yet invested) will drive competition and push deal prices upwards. Private equity firms continue to search aggressively for smaller deals in the lower middle market, which is often less competitive and lacks the strategic acquirer interest…. Read More >
The Proposed SECURE Act and Your Retirement
Earlier this summer, the House of Representatives passed the SECURE Act (“Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement”) with bipartisan support and a nearly unanimous vote. As of the writing of this commentary, it stalled in the Senate, but reports show bipartisan support there as well. The proposed legislation (“the Act”) can be considered to… Read More >
CB&S Bank-PrimeSouth Bank Complete Merger
On July 31, 2019 CBS-Banc Corp. of Russellville, AL and PrimeSouth Bancshares, Inc. of Pike Road, AL announced the closing of their merger which combines two well-respected banking franchises and creates a $1.9 billion institution operating in three of Alabama’s four largest markets. The deal consideration was 100% cash. Other financial terms were not disclosed…. Read More >
PW&Co Advises First Southern State Bank in Acquisition
First Bancshares of Stevenson, Inc. of Stevenson, AL (“FBS”) and Vantage Bancshares, Inc. of Albertville, AL (“Vantage”) announced yesterday the signing of a definitive agreement under which FBS and Vantage will enter into a strategic merger to combine two well-respected banking franchises. The combined institution will be approximately $525 million in assets and will operate… Read More >
What’s It Worth, Spring 2019
U.S. private equity deal activity and total transaction value dipped slightly in Q1 2019, but prices on completed deals remain elevated. Continued record-breaking fundraising efforts and private equity dry powder (funds raised but not yet invested) will likely continue to drive competition and push deal prices upwards. Private equity firms continue to search aggressively for… Read More >
Birmingham Area Economic Report, Q4 2018
This report explores a few key statistics that paint a picture of the Birmingham area economy. Our Birmingham Area Economic Report places the Birmingham area economy in a state, regional and national context. Click here to download the full report with a more in-depth look at the statistics. The chart below shows a snapshot of… Read More >
PW&Co Advises Trinity Bank in Merger
River Financial Corporation of Prattville, AL and Trinity Bancorp, Inc. of Dothan, AL announced today the signing of a definitive agreement under which River and Trinity will enter into a strategic merger to combine two well-respected banking franchises and create a $1.25 billion institution operating in several of Alabama’s largest markets. The deal consideration is… Read More >
Long Term Portfolio Returns – January 2019 Update
In order to make sound investment decisions today, we are forced to make long term projections of portfolio returns. The methodology, assumptions, and original inputs for our approach to predicting long term portfolio returns are originally documented in our white paper titled, Projecting Long Term Portfolio Returns[1]. This paper updates the original with data as… Read More >
What It Means To Be A Fiduciary Under ERISA
Overview The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) sets out comprehensive standards of conduct for those who manage an employee benefit plan and its assets. In addition to a specific person being named in the plan document, a fiduciary is defined in ERISA as someone who: 1) exercises discretion over the management of… Read More >
Planning for Charitable Giving
According to the National Philanthropic Trust,[1] approximately 90% of high net worth families give to charity, and in 2017, charitable giving accounted for 2.1% of gross domestic product. American families have historically given more money to charity than those in other countries, and charitable giving has become a fabric of our culture, a way to… Read More >
