Merger and acquisition (M&A) dealmakers are starting to feelpain from the partial U.S. government shutdown. With multipleregulatory agencies down to a skeleton staff, companies are tellinginvestors that their pending takeovers and stock sales could bedelayed.

Here are three examples from filings since the shutdown began onDecember 22:

• Eclipse Resources Corp. and Blue Ridge Mountain Resources Inc.extended the termination date of their roughly $900 million merger“to provide the parties additional flexibility in light of theshutdown of portions of the U.S. federal government,” according toa regulatory filing Tuesday.
• The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or CFIUS—theagency that vets acquisitions for national securities risks—told atleast two sets of would-be merger partners on Dec. 22 that it hadsuspended all deadlines for declarations and transactions underreview, according to regulatory filings. That could slow downacquisitions that Americas Silver Corp. and InfraREIT Inc. havepending, the companies said last week. Initial CFIUS reviews are 45days, under normal circumstances.
• Ready Capital Corp. told investors that the “ongoing federalgovernment shutdown” could force it to change the timing of aspecial meeting scheduled for Feb. 28 to vote on a stock issuancetied to its takeover of Owens Realty Mortgage Inc., according to afiling last week.

From: Bloomberg

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