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Wachovia and First Union Modify Option Agreements CHARLOTTE and WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB) and First Union Corporation (NYSE:FTU) today announced that they have amended certain provisions in their reciprocal option agreements granted in their merger of equals to eliminate any possible distraction of shareholders from the merits of the First Union–Wachovia merger. As previously announced in their merger-of-equals transaction announced on April 16, 2001, Wachovia and First Union granted each other the right to purchase under certain circumstances (none of which has occurred) up to 19.9 percent of the other company’s common shares. As amended, the consideration paid on the exercise of such options must consist of cash or readily marketable debt or preferred stock issued by the option holder. These securities must have a fair market value equal to the option exercise price as agreed upon by both parties’ investment bankers. Also, First Union and Wachovia clarified certain provisions of the reciprocal options to confirm clearly that the maximum profit that may be derived by a party exercising the option is capped at $780 million in all circumstances. The companies said that the property exercise feature of the options had appeared to distract some shareholders unnecessarily from the merits of the First Union – Wachovia merger of equals. As a result, the companies agreed to the amendment. The companies said their merger of equals is moving forward on schedule on integration and regulatory fronts. First Union Corporation, with $253 billion in assets and stockholders’ equity of $16 billion at March 31, 2001, is a leading provider of financial services to 15 million retail and corporate customers throughout the East Coast and the nation. The company operates full-service banking offices in 11 East Coast states and Washington, D.C., and full-service brokerage offices in 47 states. Online banking products and services can be accessed through www.firstunion.com. Wachovia Corporation, with dual headquarters in Atlanta and Winston-Salem, N.C., is a leading financial holding company serving regional, national and international markets. As of March 31, 2001, Wachovia had assets of $75.6 billion. Member companies offer consumer and commercial banking, bank card, asset and wealth management, capital markets and investment banking, community development finance, brokerage and insurance services. Wachovia Bank, N.A., the principal subsidiary, has nearly 650 offices and 1,350 ATMs primarily in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, (i) statements about the benefits of the merger between First Union Corporation and Wachovia Corporation, including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues, and accretion to reported earnings that may be realized from the merger; (ii) statements with respect to First Union’s and Wachovia’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts; and (iii) other statements identified by words such as “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans”, “targets”, “projects” and similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of First Union’s and Wachovia’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: (1) the risk that the businesses of First Union and Wachovia will not be integrated successfully or such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; (2) expected revenue synergies and cost savings from the merger may not be fully realized or realized within the expected time frame; (3) revenues following the merger may be lower than expected; (4) deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business disruption following the merger, including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, may be greater than expected; (5) the ability to obtain governmental approvals of the merger on the proposed terms and schedule; (6) the failure of First Union’s and Wachovia’s stockholders to approve the merger; (7) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions may increase significantly and have an effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; (8) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which the combined company will conduct operations may be different than expected resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality or a reduced demand for credit, including the resultant effect on the combined company’s loan portfolio and allowance for loan losses; (9) changes in the U.S. and foreign legal and regulatory framework; and (10) adverse conditions in the stock market, the public debt market and other capital markets (including changes in interest rate conditions) and the impact of such conditions on the combined company’s capital markets and asset management activities. Additional factors that could cause First Union’s and Wachovia’s results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in First Union’s and Wachovia’s reports (such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the proposed transaction or other matters attributable to First Union or Wachovia or any person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. First Union and Wachovia do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made. Additional Information First Union and Wachovia, and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of First Union and Wachovia in connection with the merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of First Union and their ownership of First Union common stock is set forth in First Union’s proxy statement on Schedule 14A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2001. Information about the directors and executive officers of Wachovia and their ownership of Wachovia common stock is set forth in Wachovia’s proxy statement on Schedule 14A, as filed with the SEC on March 19, 2001. Additional information regarding the interests of those participants may be obtained by reading the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction when it becomes available. |
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