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    Book Review: Reverse Mergers (2E)


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

      

    Author: David Feldman
    Publisher: Bloomberg Press
    Publication Date: 2009

    Rating:

    A reverse merger is an important way to go public, without the time-consuming and ferociously expensive initial public offering (IPO). Successfully completing a reverse merger can be tricky, and if you are contemplating one, then buy Reverse Mergers first. This book gives a great overview of reverse shells, and plenty of supporting detail. Don't just skim this book - Read all of it.

    Reverse Mergers describes reverse mergers, their benefits in comparison to an IPO, deal structures, related financings, bad shell situations, legal issues, due diligence, and self-filings. There is excellent coverage of how to value a shell, deal mechanics, and Form 10 shells.

    Having run a public company that began as a reverse merger, I was watching for a number of points throughout the text that an outsider may not be aware of, such as the reactions of existing shell shareholders when the shell is purchased (they sell), the proportion of bad shell shareholder addresses (high), the use of shareholders of record to go private, changing the charter to issue more shares, and many other points. The author addressed all of them. I got the distinct impression that the author is one of the top experts in the world on this topic.

    The Financing chapter is extremely important, so read it in detail. Please note that fund raising is a separate activity from engaging in a reverse merger. Also, the Winning Market Support chapter is crucial - many shells have very small market capitalizations, which, as the author points out, leads to minimal market support without intensive investor relations work.

    There are very few exhibits in the book, but they are all necessary, amplifying upon such topics as the reverse triangular merger and stock exchange listing requirements, which really need some visual assistance. The author avoids the common trap of dumping a large volume of unrelated examples into the text, and instead carefully integrates a smaller number of excellent examples into the book.

    I can find very few opportunities for improvement in Reverse Mergers. They are:
    • Eliminate some practice tips. There are dozens of practice tips, which vary in usefulness. One practice tip to senior executives is "don't get greedy." Another is "Be skeptical of pre-deal hype." Hmmm.. Probably one-quarter of the practice tips can be removed.
    • Focus on the core concept. There are two chapters that diverge from the core concept, which are Chinese Reverse Mergers and The Experts Speak. These chapters could go away, and readers would still obtain about the same information.
    • Going private transactions. The concept of going private is tucked away on pages 78-79. This is a significant topic, and deserves its own chapter.
    Only the items just noted prevent Reverse Mergers from receiving a perfect score. If you need information about reverse mergers, this is the book to buy. I loved it.