The precipitous decline and subsequent volatility of equity markets that began in 2008 had a devastating effect on the values of financial services firms. As portfolio values declined, taking with them assets under management – and by extension revenues – new challenges arose in assessing the value of these firms and their ability to survive such turmoil. “M&A and Valuation in the Financial Services Space in the Current Market Environment” tackled these and other considerations head-on as our panel of experts addressed new challenges to one of the largest segments of the U.S. economy. In addition to changes in revenues and values, Steven Levitt (Park Sutton Advisors) and Clark Locke (Hovde Financial) discussed the operational and strategic consequences this of market for financial services firms. As values decline and these firms try to weather the storm, the strategic advantages to some transactions have gained even more importance, despite fewer transactions overall. For appraisers and M&A analysts, these considerations are imperative for valuing any financial services firm.
