We study the dynamic profit-maximizing selling mechanism in an M&A environment with costly bidder entry and without entry fees. Depending on the parameters, the optimal mechanism is implemented by a standard auction, or by a two-stage procedure with exclusive offers to one bidder followed by an...

This paper is the first to examine the determinants of acquisitions for the U.S. thrift industry during a period of market liberalization and widespread takeover activity, 1994 to 2000.(...)

The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate whether companies can use acquisition as a strategy to reduce their probability of takeover. A subsidiary issue is whether such a strategy has any impact on their subsequent probability of bankruptcy. The determinants of making an acquisition,...

The Greek banking market developed considerably after the accession of Greece to the Eurozone, which was reflected on the growth of number of banks, banking network and number of employees. The application of the austerity program in Greece had serious consequences on the Greek banking market....

This study provides new stylized facts on the determinants of corporate failure and acquisition in Germany. It also offers important lessons for the design of empirical studies. We show that firms experiencing failure or acquisition are significantly different from surviving firms on a number of...

This survey introduces a two-volume, 1,900-page reprint collection of articles recently published by Elsevier/North-Holland journals. Volume 1 begins with a comprehensive overview of the empirical evidence, followed by introductions to the econometrics of event studies and various techniques for...

A common method of valuing the equity in highly leveraged transactions is the flows-to-equity method. When applying this method various formulas can be used to calculate the time-varying cost of equity. In this paper we show that some commonly used formulas are inconsistent with the assumptions...

In this paper, we study a large sample of Spanish firms acquired by private equity funds in leveraged buyout transactions. Leveraged buyouts are controversial in the U.S., yet European researchers link leveraged buyouts and growth. We argue that growth is merely industry consolidation, not...

Firms that buy assets in fire sales earn excess returns that are two percentage points higher than in regular acquisitions. The mechanism behind this result is the reduced bargaining power of the seller. We find no difference in real effects or in the combined returns for buyers and sellers...