Investigation Overview
Oct. 08, 2012 (Shareholders Foundation) -- An investigation on behalf of investors in Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ALNC) shares was announced concerning whether the offer to merger Alliance Financial Corporation with NBT Bancorp Inc. at a value of $48.00 per NASDAQ:ALNC share and the takeover process are unfair to investors in NASDAQ:ALNC shares.
The investigation by a law firm concerns whether certain officers and directors of Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ALNC breached their fiduciary duties owed to Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ALNC investors in connection with the proposed acquisition.
On Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, NBT Bancorp Inc. (NasdaqGS: NBTB) and Alliance Financial Corporation (NasdaqGS: ALNC) announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Alliance Financial will merge with and into NBT Bancorp. The merger is valued at approximately $233.4 million. Under the terms of the proposed merger agreement, each outstanding share of Alliance Financial common stock will be converted into the right to receive 2.1779 shares of NBT Bancorp common stock upon completion of the merger. The transaction is valued at $48.00 per Alliance share based on NBT's average closing stock price of $22.04 for the five-day trading period ending on October 5, 2012.
Following the takeover announcement NASDAQ:ALNC shares jumped from $39.49 per share on Friday to $46.10 per share on Monday.
However, shares of Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ALNC) grew at an exceptional growth rate. Its shares grew from as low as $15.99 per share in February 2009 to as high as $40.76 per share in September 2012. Furthermore, Alliance Financials Net Income rose from $10.36 million in 2008 to $13.08 million in 2011.
Therefore the investigation a law firm concerns whether the proposed transaction is unfair to Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ALNC stockholders. Specifically, the investigation focuses on whether the Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ALNC Board of Directors undertook an adequate sales process, adequately shopped the company before entering into the transaction, maximized shareholder value by negotiating the best price, and acted in the shareholders' best interests in connection with the proposed merger.