Merrill Datasite Poll: Almost Two-Thirds Of Survey Respondents Expert Strategic Buyers To Be Most Active M&A Participants In 2010

Online, June 28, 2010 (Newswire.com) - NEW YORK, May 13, 2010 - According to a recent survey of M&A executives conducted by Merrill DataSite®, a subsidiary of Merrill Corporation, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of executives surveyed believe that over the next 12-18 months, strategic buyers will be the most active M&A participants.

The majority of respondents (60 percent) also believe that strategic buyers tend to pay a higher price for target companies during acquisitions. Only about one-third (34 percent) think that financial buyers would pay a higher price for a target company.

"Companies will be looking to strategically expand in 2010, and strategic buyers will be looking for M&A opportunities to make that happen," said Richard R. Martin, Senior Director, Merrill DataSite. "The fact is the better the fit, the more a strategic buyer is willing to pay."

When asked what they thought, in today's market, was the primary reason that transactions do not close, 60 percent of respondents credit this to the inability to agree on price or valuation. One quarter (25 percent) of respondents attribute this to problems unearthed during due diligence.

"While companies will be aggressively looking for M&A opportunities, the devil will be in the details," Martin said. "Coming out of this recession with fears still high of a double-dip, valuation will be the major obstacle impeding any transaction."

Responses were drawn from the online polling questions during a Merrill DataSite webcast, "How to Make M&A Pay for You in Today's Market," that took place on April 29, 2010.

About Merrill Corporation
Founded in 1968 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., Merrill Corporation (www.merrillcorp.com) is a leading provider of outsourced solutions for complex business communication and information management. Merrill's services include document and data management, litigation support, language translation services, branded communications programs, fulfillment, imaging and printing. Merrill's target markets include the legal, financial services, insurance and real estate industries. With more than 5,200 people in over 70 domestic and 15 international locations, Merrill empowers the communications of the world's leading companies.

About Merrill DataSite
Merrill DataSite® (www.datasite.com) is a comprehensive virtual data room (VDR) solution that accelerates the due diligence process by providing a secure online document repository for confidential time-sensitive documents. Merrill DataSite overcomes the many limitations of a traditional paper data room by enabling companies to present critical business information to multiple prospective buyers in a secure Web-based environment. As a result, transaction time and expense are dramatically reduced. Merrill DataSite can be rapidly deployed and is accessible by viewers throughout the world via the Internet. As a leading provider of VDR solutions worldwide, Merrill DataSite has served more than 4,500 private and public companies across the globe, and has empowered nearly 2 million unique visitors to perform electronic due diligence on thousands of transactions totaling trillions of dollars in asset value. Merrill DataSite recently was honored with the "M&A Product/Service of the Year Award" from the M&A Advisor.