Any good M&A due diligence strategies out there?
My organization has done acquisitions in the past but they have always been small in size and with exceptionally strong banks, so our current due diligence approach has been limited to about three key people only. In addition, the loan portfolio is the only area with a real in-depth review. In this tough banking environment, I'm sure we will start to see M&A activity heat up for some of our banks out there, and some of these acquisitions will be shot-gun weddings with little time for due-diligence.
Does anyone have a good due-diligence template, approach, or strategies for bank M&A that they are willing to share? Besides for the credit portfolio, what other areas should be reviewed and accessed prior to an acquisition?