September 13, 2013 (Shareholders Foundation) - An investigation on behalf of investors, who currently hold shares of Sterling Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:STSA) shares, was announced concerning whether the takeover of Sterling Financial Corporation by Umpqua Holdings Corporation for a value of $30.52 per share is unfair to NASDAQ:STSA stockholders.

The investigation by a law firm concerns whether certain officers and directors of Sterling Financial Corporation breached their fiduciary duties owed NASDAQ:STSA investors in connection with the proposed acquisition.

On September 9, 2013, Umpqua Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: UMPQ) and Sterling Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: STSA) announced that they have entered into an agreement pursuant to which Sterling Financial will merge with and into Umpqua Holdings. The transaction will have a total value of approximately $2.0 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Sterling Financial shareholders will receive 1.671 shares of Umpqua Holdings common stock and $2.18 cash for each share of Sterling common stock. The total value of the Sterling Financial merger consideration, based on the closing price of Umpqua Holdings shares on September 11, 2013 of $16.96, is $30.52.

However, given that funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and Warburg Pincus, the two largest shareholders of Sterling Financial, each owning approximately 20.8% of Sterling Financials outstanding common stock, have already agreed to vote in favor of and fully support the transaction, and that Thomas H. Lee Partners and Warburg Pincus have the right to designate a representative of each firm to serve on the board of directors of the combined company following closing, investigation concerns whether the Sterling Financial 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 sale.

Sterling Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:STSA) reported that its annual Net Income rose from $39.13 million in 2011 to $385.72 million in 2012.

Sharesof Sterling Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:STSA) grew from $12.04 per share in August 2011 to as high as $26.86 per share in August 2012.

On September 13, 2013, NASDAQ:STSA shares closed at $28.80 per share.