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Feb 19, 2003

SGR Named Among Top Legal Advisors in the Nation by American Banker Magazine

ATLANTA (February 2003) — In a quiet year for mergers and acquisitions in the financial services industry, Atlanta-based law firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) made some noise. The 185-person firm made American Banker’s list of “Top Lead Legal Advisors” for bank and thrift merger deals in 2002, and was the only Atlanta-based firm to do so. In fact, the firm handled five client transactions, which were listed in the magazine’s recap of the “top bank and thrift merger bids,” “line-of-business deals” and “top bank and thrift mergers” for 2002.

Attorneys in SGR’s Banking/Financial Institutions Practice represented clients in the following ranked transactions on the magazine’s 2002 list of “top bank and thrift merger bids”:

  • #9 — Seller: Franklin Financial Corporation in a $223 million acquisition by Fifth Third Bancorp;
  • #59 — Seller: Community Bancshares, Inc. in a $36 million acquisition by United Community Bancorp;
  • # 116 — Seller: Premier National Bank in an $11.5 million acquisition by First Security Group, Inc.

In addition, SGR attorneys represented the ninth largest “line-of-business” deal for investment advisory client Thomasville Bancshares, Inc. of Thomasville, Ga., which bought more than $200 million in assets from Joseph Parker & Co. in 2002. The firm also handled the number six bank and thrift merger completed in 2002 for client Promistar Financial Corp., which was purchased by F.N.B. Corp for an estimated $429 million in January 2002.

The Banking/Financial Institutions Practice of SGR has considerable experience representing various financial institutions, including bank holding companies, national and state-chartered commercial banks, federal and state-chartered thrift institutions and federally-chartered credit unions. The firm represents its financial institution clients in all aspects of their business, including general corporate matters, regulatory compliance, interstate expansion, mergers and acquisitions, mutual-to-stock ownership conversions, capital formation, defense of regulatory enforcement actions and lending transactions.


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