GSBLSU Favorite Class: Mergers and Acquisitions w/ Chris Hargrove
About the Instructor:
Christopher Hargrove has been a faculty member at Louisiana State University’s Graduate School of Banking for over twenty years. He has an M.A. and a B.B.A. in Finance.
He is also the Chairman and CEO of Professional Bank Services, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. As an expert in the fields of Investment Banking and Litigation, Chris’ main responsibilities revolve around handling Mergers and Acquisitions as well as financial planning for his clients. He has represented over 400 institutions as an investment banker, and is a registered principle with the NASD.
About the course:
In his class at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, Chris Hargrove gives an overview of what happens when one bank acquires another bank. Mergers and Acquisitions takes a look at the financial, regulatory and social aspects of mergers, the implementation of the process, and the personnel aspects of a merger, especially within a Community Bank. Hargrove uses real life anecdotes and examples as a backdrop to walking through a merger.
Some of the financial aspects answer the questions, when should community banks acquire new branches? Is it worth it? How do you generate a balance sheet, an income statement, and how do you determine if a branch is worth bidding. When it is, this course walks you through a cash acquisition analysis. The implementation takes the process from the pricing phase to the determination of terms and conditions, and how to minimize overhead throughout the process
Acquiring a new branch can be a great move, but can also be incredibly complicated. The financial elements of a merger are not the only factors involved. Hargrove also talks about some of the social aspects of a merger. Namely, critical personnel issues such as job reassignments, terminations and consolidations of positions, and the changes in “corporate cultures” are addressed in practical terms.
The course also focuses on the challenges of remaining independent.
{{cta(’26d88a89-4281-4af9-9562-c90a7aae86e6′)}}
Checkout the video below for a few of the highlights of the course:
