Take a “Quick Peek” — 2014 HSR Annual Report

Thursday, September 10, 2015 by Thought Leadership Team

hsr_social

A few weeks ago, the FTC and DOJ released their annual HSR Report. Like any report card, this annual assessment allows us to see the developments of the last year when it comes to premerger notification and merger enforcement.

Mergers are up

  • In 2014, merger filings increased by more than 25% from 2013.
  • 1,663 transactions were reported under the HSR Act in 2014.

Considerable emphasis on consumer market competition

  • Consumer Goods & Services comprised 30.8% of the HSR transactions in 2014, more than any other industry.

Growth in multi-million dollar mergers

  • 4% of reported transactions had a value of over $500 million.

Second Request volumes steady with previous years

  • Second Requests were issued in 51 merger investigations – 30 by the FTC, 21 by the DOJ.
  • The number of Second Requests issued in 2014 increased 8.5% over 2013.
  • Second Requests were issued in 3.2% of total HSR transactions, down from 3.7% in 2013.
  • More than 80% of Second Request investigations occurred in transaction ranges of $300 million or greater.

With ample antitrust and Second Request experience under our belts, Kroll Ontrack is uniquely equipped to help manage your document productions to the FTC, DOJ and other global competition bureaus. To learn more about Kroll Ontrack’s expertise, be sure to check out our Second Request Services.