Varnum represented Firstbank Corporation, a publicly-traded bank holding company, in its merger with similar-sized Mercantile Bank Corporation, also a public corporation, resulting in the third-largest bank holding company in Michigan. The deal was concluded in June 2014, and the combined company resulted in $2.9 billion in assets and 53 locations across Michigan.
Varnum provided extensive corporate and banking work, including work with state and federal regulatory agencies. Varnum’s team included Harvey Koning (lead corporate attorney, corporate and banking matters), Jeff DeVree (employee benefits and executive compensation matters), Zach Meyer (SEC and corporate matters) and Skye Wickland (regulatory applications).