Edward G. Olifer
Partner

701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 200, Washington, DC USA 20004

Overview

Ed Olifer is the Managing Partner of the firm's Washington, D.C. office, and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee (its board of directors). As a member of Kilpatrick’s Financial Institutions team, Ed advises executive management teams and boards of directors on myriad sensitive, legal-related and other strategic decisions that impact their businesses and constituents. He represents a variety of companies in the financial services industry, including public and private financial institutions, mutual financial institutions and mutual holding companies, and investment banking firms. Having worked with financial institutions since the 1990s through numerous economic cycles, he is able to identify and tailor strategies to address the broad spectrum of transactional, corporate governance, and bank regulatory and compliance issues with which his clients are presented. Ed has led or co-led many of the Financial Institutions Team’s merger and acquisition and capital-raising transactions for which the firm has been consistently recognized, including national practice area recognition by Chambers USA (2014–2023).

Ed counsels public clients on a daily basis with respect to their reporting obligations under the federal securities laws, including a broad range of securities regulations applicable to corporations, officers, directors, and shareholders of public corporations, including share re-sale restrictions, Section 16, and insider-trading matters. He frequently represents issuers and underwriters in initial and secondary public securities offerings, including public and private debt and/or equity transactions, and advises clients regarding federal and state charter selection and conversion options and with their conversion to stock form.

The path to Ed’s career began with his earning one of the few available law degrees that required completion of a three-year corporate and securities law specialty track program. His law school studies were augmented by an internship in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of General Counsel and a clerkship in the Office of General Counsel at the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Ed was recommended by Legal 500 US in 2022, 2023 and 2024 for Mergers & Acquisitions. In 2021, he was named to the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, which recognizes the contributions of those D.C. Bar members who donated 50 hours or more of pro bono service during the previous calendar year.

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Experience

Represented Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., a banking company, in the sale of its insurance business to Hub International Limited, a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm.

Represented Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. in connection with its $200 million public subordinated debt offering.

Served as underwriter’s counsel to Piper Sandler in connection with the $31 million subordinated debt offering conducted by First Savings Financial Group.

Represented Standard AVB Financial, Inc. in connection with its $156 million merger with Dollar Mutual Bancorp.

Represented Raymond James & Associates, Inc. in a $39.2 million public offering of common stock by Cullman Bancorp, Inc., parent company of Cullman Savings Bank, Cullman, Alabama.

Represented The Community Financial Corporation in a private placement of $20.0 million of its subordinated debt securities and the subsequent registration of the subordinated debt securities.

Represented Wellesley Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Wellesley Bank, in connection with its $122 million merger with Cambridge Bancorp, the holding company for Cambridge Trust Company, in an all-stock transaction.

Represented financial advisor in connection with its issuance of a fairness opinion to a merging bank holding company in connection with that company’s $220 million merger.

Represented Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., the parent company of Sandy Spring Bank, in its $460 million acquisition of Revere Bank.

Represented the underwriting group in a $100 million public preferred stock offering completed by United Community Banks, Inc.

Represented First Advantage Bancorp, the parent company of First Advantage Bank, in its $123.4 million sale to Reliant Bancorp, Inc., the parent company for Reliant Bank.

Represented Sandy Spring Bancorp in a $175 million public subordinated debt offering.

Represented the underwriting group in a $100 million public senior notes offering completed by United Community Banks, Inc.

Represented The Community Financial Corporation in a private placement of $10.6 million of its common stock.

Represented SI Financial Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, Savings Institute Bank and Trust Company, in its all-stock sale to Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. valued at $182.2 million.

Represented United Community Bancorp in its $114.1 million acquisition by Civista Bancshares, Inc.

Represented Liberty Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary, BankLiberty, in its $103.7 million merger into Central Bancompany, Inc. BankLiberty will also be merged into Central Bancompany’s affiliate bank, Central Bank of the Midwest.

Represented Coastal Financial Corporation, Everett, WA, in its $42 million underwritten initial public offering.

Represented First Connecticut Bancorp, Inc. with respect to employee benefits, executive compensation arrangements and related matters in connection with its $544 million merger with People’s United Financial, Inc.

Served as counsel to Pulaski Financial Corporation, a retail and commercial bank in the Midwest U.S., in its merger with First Busey Corporation, a financial holding company. The firm counseled the Board of Directors, negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, and prepared shareholder disclosure materials and other SEC filings.

Represented the underwriter, Sterne, Agree & Leach, Inc., in a $11.2 million public offering of common stock by MW Bancorp, Inc., parent company of Mt. Washington Savings Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Represented First Financial Holdings, Inc. in a merger with SCBT Financial Corporation. The $300 million transaction combined two of South Carolina’s oldest and largest banking companies. The firm counseled and negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, handled employment and benefit matters, managed the due diligence and disclosure process, advised on IP, broker/dealer and tax matters and successfully represented First Financial Holdings’ board of directors in merger-related litigation.

Represented Provident Bankshares Corporation in multiple acquisitions and dispositions, including its $330 million acquisition of Southern Financial Bancorp, Inc., its $31.2 million acquisition of Harbor Federal Bancorp, Inc., and its sale of three branch offices in southeastern Virginia and North Carolina, together with approximately $140 million of deposits, to Gateway Bank Trust Co.

Represented the underwriter, Sandler O'Neill + Partners L.P., in the $1.1 billion initial public offering of common stock by TFS Financial Corporation.

Represented Provident Bankshares Corporation in its $64.8 million private placement of convertible preferred stock and common stock and a $50 million private placement of subordinated debt by its subsidiary, Provident Bank of Maryland.

Represented Provident Bankshares Corporation in one of the earliest completed TARP transactions, the issuance of $151.0 million of preferred stock and warrants to purchase shares of common stock through the U.S. Treasury Department's TARP Capital Purchase Program.

Represented First Southern Bancshares Inc., an Alabama financial institution, in its tender offer, private placement of common stock and related going private transaction.

Represented Community Financial Shares Inc. in connection with its tender offer for 9.1% of its outstanding shares of common stock.

Represented Central Bancorp, Inc. based in Somerville, MA in a $54.8 million transaction with Independent Bank Corporation based in Rockland, MA. The firm counseled and negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, handled employment and benefit matters, managed the due diligence and disclosure process.

Represented New England Bancshares, Inc., a publicly held mutual holding company, in its acquisition of Windsor Locks Community Bank, a mutual savings bank.

Represented Jefferson Bancshares, Inc. based in Morristown, TN in a merger with HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. based in Asheville, NC. The firm counseled the Board of Directors, negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, handled employment and benefit matters, and managed the due diligence and disclosure process.

Served as counsel to Ameriana Bancorp, a bank holding company for Ameriana Bank based in New Castle, Indiana, in its $70.4 million merger with First Merchants Corporation, the largest financial holding company based in Central Indiana, U.S. The firm counseled the Board of Directors, negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, and prepared shareholder disclosure materials and other SEC filings.

Represented the underwriter, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., in a $27.2 million public offering of common stock by Melrose Bancorp, Inc., parent company of Melrose Cooperative Bank, Melrose, MA.

Represented FirstFed America Bancorp Inc., Swansea, Massachusetts, in its $460.1 million merger with Webster Financial Corp.

Represented Jefferson Federal Bank in its second step conversion from the mutual holding company to the stock holding company form of organization and the related $66.1 million initial public offering by its newly formed holding company, Jefferson Bancshares Inc.

Represented First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Hazard in its mutual holding company reorganization, the related $21.3 million initial public offering by its newly formed holding company, Kentucky First Federal Bancorp, and Kentucky First's concurrent $29.8 million acquisition of Frankfort First Federal Bancorp, Inc.

Representing Easthampton Savings Bank, a Massachusetts chartered savings bank, and its mutual holding company parents ESB Bancorp, Inc. and ESB Bancorp, MHC, in connection with their acquisition of Citizens National Bancorp, Inc. and The Citizens National Bank, Putnam, Connecticut.

Represented New York Community Bancorp Inc. in multiple financings, including follow-on public stock offerings that raised over $850 million in gross proceeds including a $275.0 million public offering of units consisting of trust preferred securities and warrants to purchase common stock.

Represented Roslyn Bancorp Inc., a New York-based financial institution, in a $114.8 million public offering of senior notes.

Represented New York Community Bancorp Inc. in its $168.4 million acquisition of Synergy Financial Group Inc., its $260.0 million acquisition of PennFed Financial Services Inc., and its acquisition of 11 banking offices and $377.5 million in deposits from Doral Bank, FSB, New York, NY.

Represented Boiling Springs Bancorp, a federally-chartered, non-public, mutual holding company, in its acquisition of Ridgewood Financial Inc., a publicly-traded company in the mutual holding company structure.

Represented Ottawa Savings Bank, a federal chartered savings bank located in Ottawa, Illinois, in its acquisition of Twin Oaks Savings Bank, a mutual savings bank located in Marseilles, Illinois.

Represented United Community Bank, a southern Indiana savings bank, in its mutual holding company reorganization and the related $36.5 million initial public offering by its newly formed holding company, United Community Bancorp.

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Insights
Education

George Mason University School of Law J.D. (1993) Corporate and Securities Law Specialty Track

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University B.A. (1990)

Admissions

District of Columbia

Virginia

Professional & Community Activities

Youth Basketball Coach

Everybody Wins! DC Power Lunch, Elementary School Mentor

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