Fifth Third Bancorp and MB Financial, Inc. jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which MB Financial will merge with Fifth Third in a transaction valued at approximately $4.7 billion. Approximately 90 percent of the consideration will be in stock with the rest in cash.
Chicago-based MB Financial is the holding company for MB Financial Bank, N.A. MB Financial has approximately $20 billion in assets with a history of successfully serving the Chicago market for over 100 years. MB Financial is well recognized as a leader in serving middle-market customers, for its strong deposit franchise, and for its customer centric corporate culture.
The merger will result in a total Chicago deposit market share of 6.5 percent, ranking the combined company fourth in total deposits and second in estimated retail deposits among the nearly 200 banks in the marketplace. Additionally, the combined company will have a 20 percent share of middle market relationships in Chicago, ranking it second.
“There were no other potential partners of the same caliber as MB Financial in the Chicago market, and we are very pleased to reach an agreement to merge our companies. We view MB Financial as a unique partner in our efforts to build scale in this strategically important market. Customers of both banks will benefit from greater convenience and the complementary capabilities that our banks, together, can offer,” said Greg D. Carmichael, chairman, president and CEO of Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp.
“This merger also allows us to leverage MB Financial’s talented management team. That begins with the selection of Mitch Feiger as Chairman and CEO for our Chicago region, and we expect it to include other key members of the MB Financial leadership team. On a combined basis, we will have the best talent in the market,” Carmichael commented.
“Teaming up with Fifth Third allows us to leverage our complementary capabilities for the benefit of our customers and the communities we serve,” said Mitchell Feiger, president and CEO of MB Financial. “I am very excited to lead the combined organization in Chicago. Our commercial expertise and strong credit culture complement the strengths of Fifth Third in large corporate lending, capital markets, wealth management and the payments business. Both organizations are committed to a successful integration.”
Based on the closing price of Fifth Third’s common shares on May 18, common shareholders of MB Financial will receive $54.20 of total consideration, consisting of 1.45 shares of Fifth Third common stock and $5.54 in cash for each share of MB Financial common stock. The consideration implies a premium of approximately 24 percent to MB Financial’s closing share price on May 18, 2018. In conjunction with the closing of the transaction, two members of MB Financial’s Board of Directors are expected to join the Fifth Third Bancorp Board.
The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of all customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals as well as the approval of MB Financial shareholders.
Citi served as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal advisor to Fifth Third. Sandler O’Neill + Partners served as financial advisor and Silver Freedman, Taff & Tiernan LLP and Vedder Price served as legal counsel to MB Financial.