Mergers & Acquisitions For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 16

Closing and Integrating the Acquisition

IN THIS CHAPTER

Rounding up the closing’s participants

Executing the actual closing

Disclosing a sale to employees and the media

Tackling post-closing adjustments and contingent payments

Knowing what to do when things go wrong

After due diligence is completed and the purchase agreement finalized, closing time is nigh. Closing the deal occurs on a day called, ingeniously enough, closing day, where both parties sign the agreements and the money changes hands.

Although this setup seems simple and straightforward, failure to be prepared can cause unexpected problems. When you’ve gotten this far, the last thing you want is to have the deal fall apart at the last minute because of a lack of planning.

In this chapter, I introduce you to a day in the life of a closing: what happens, what to expect, and how to successfully close a deal.

Gathering the Necessary Parties

In the olden days (you know, before the advent of the Internet), closing ...