William W. Hooper

Capital Markets

• Represented Southern National Bancorp of Virginia Inc. in its $65 million public offering of subordinated notes.
• Represented The First Bancshares Inc. in its $65 million private placement of subordinated notes and subsequent exchange offer for identical registered subordinated notes.
• Represented Northpointe Bancshares Inc. in the private placement of $95 million of depositary shares representing 1/40th of a share of its non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock, series B.
• Represented The First Bancshares Inc. in its $50.8 million follow-on offering of shares of its common stock.
• Represented one of the largest banks in the United States in a minority investment in a health care payments company.
• Represented a wealth management company in a $50 million private recapitalization.
• Represented investors and issuers in numerous recapitalizations of banks and bank holding companies involving issuances of voting and non-voting equity securities.
• Counsel to underwriters and placement agents in numerous public and private offerings of equity and debt securities.
• Counsel to numerous bank holding companies in public and private securities offerings, including common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, and debt.

Bank M&A

• Counsel to The First Bancshares Inc. in seven acquisitions of other community banks.
• Counsel to SmartFinancial Inc. in its acquisition of Progressive Financial Group Inc. and the pending acquisition of Sevier County Bancshares Inc.
• Counsel to FB Financial Corporation in its acquisition of Clayton Bank and American City Bank.
• Counsel to one of the largest banks in the United States in its disposition of its health savings account line of business.
• Counsel to Piedmont Bancorp Inc. in its acquisitions of WestSide Bank and Mountain Valley Bank.
• Counsel to CoastalSouth Bancshares Inc. in its acquisition of Foothills Financial Corporation.
• Counsel to FirstSouth Bancorp Inc. in its sale to First-Citizens Financial Corporation.
• Counsel to Charter Financial Corp. in its sale to Centerstate Bank Corporation.

Wealth Management M&A

• Represented Savant Wealth Management, a leading national registered investment advisor, in multiple acquisitions of RIAs across the U.S., and in two equity recapitalizations involving leading private equity investment firms Kelso & Company and Cynosure.
• Represented San Francisco-based Parallel Advisors, a registered, independent wealth management firm, in a recapitalization of the firm led by Parallel’s existing management and Golden Gate Capital, a leading private equity investment firm.
• Represented Stratos Wealth Holdings and its Stratos business, a family of companies focused on supporting the success of financial advisors, in the announced $527 million strategic investment from SEI, a leading global provider of financial technology, operations, and asset management services.
• Represented Soltis Investment Advisors, an RIA with more than $9 billion of client assets, in a strategic growth investment from private equity firms Estancia Capital Partners and LLR Partners.
• Represented Perigon Wealth Management in its strategic minority investment from Constellation Wealth Capital.
• Represented Boston Financial Management, a wealth management and investment advisory services provider, in its sale to CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, the country's largest independent RIA.