MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Lindquist & Vennum has been named the Midwest region’s leading legal advisor for bank mergers and acquisitions, according to SNL Financial, a national publisher of banking data and news. The firm’s banking attorneys advised Midwest-based clients through nine whole-bank transactions last year. Acting as counsel for an additional transaction in the Southeast U.S., the firm’s 10 transactions placed third in the nation in the number of whole-bank transactions in which it represented a bank buyer or seller.

Lindquist & Vennum has held a Top 10 position in the national rankings for more than a decade. Kevin Costley, co-chair of the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice Group, says, “2012 saw an increase in bank mergers and acquisitions. Banks that successfully weathered the recession are focusing on growth by strategic acquisitions.”

Steve Johnson, a partner in the Financial Institutions Practice Group added, “We’ve been building relationships with bank executives and owners across the country for more than 40 years, and many of them have spent their entire careers working with our firm. It’s gratifying to be able to guide them the process of acquiring another institution or being acquired.”

Lindquist & Vennum’s Financial Institutions Practice Group offers guidance to more than 300 financial institutions ranging from privately owned and closely held banks to superregional financial holding companies. The group regularly advises clients in mergers and acquisitions, capital raising initiatives, complex regulatory issues, and strategic planning.

The SNL Financial league tables were published February 7 and reflect calendar year 2012 activity.

About Lindquist & Vennum LLP
Lindquist & Vennum’s nearly 200 attorneys provide a full array of business, finance, transactional and litigation services from offices in Minneapolis, Denver and Sioux Falls. The firm serves business, governmental and individual clients across the U.S. For more information, visit www.lindquist.com.

About SNL Financial LC
SNL Financial is the premier provider of breaking news, financial data and expert analysis on business sectors critical to the global economy: Banking, Insurance, Financial Services, Real Estate, Energy and Media & Communications. SNL’s business intelligence service provides investment professionals, from leading Wall Street institutions to top corporate management, with access to an in-depth electronic database, available online and updated 24/7.

SOURCE Lindquist & Vennum