FTC Is Pinpointing Where Merger Reviews Get Held Up

Federal Trade Commission staffers are tracking how long certain parts of the agency’s merger review procedures are taking to hone in on problem areas, the agency’s competition chief told Bloomberg Law in an interview.

The FTC is focused on the “second request” stage, which is reserved for the small percentage of proposed deals that raise competition concerns. Second requests are costly, preventing merging companies from completing their deals, and can drag on for months or even years.

Bayer AG closed its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto Co. in June after a two-year process of reviews involving regulators around the world, ...