Emily N. Henkel

Represented SBC, Incorporated, the parent company for Countryside Bank, in connection with the acquisition by Wintrust Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: WTFC).

Represented First American Bank in connection with its acquisition of Miami-based Continental National Bank, the first Cuban-American owned bank in the U.S.

Represented First Defiance Financial Corp. (“First Defiance”) (Nasdaq: FDEF) in connection with its definitive merger agreement in which United Community Financial Corp. (“United Community”) (Nasdaq: UCFC), will merge into First Defiance in a stock-for-stock transaction.

Represented Northern States Financial Corporation (OTCPINK: NSFC), in entering into a definitive agreement in which Northern States merged with First Midwest Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FMBI).

Represented First Trust & Savings Bank of Albany, Illinois in connection with its planned merger into Morton Community Bank.

Represented Prairie State Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Farmers State Bank of Danforth, in connection with an acquisition that will merge Farmers State Bank of Danforth into First Trust Bank of Illinois – a First Trust Financial Corp. unit – which will operate under the name First Trust Bank.

Represented Heartland Financial USA, Inc. in the sale of its consumer finance subsidiaries Citizens Finance Co. and Citizens Finance of Illinois Co., and the completed sale of their existing loan portfolios to American Credit Acceptance, LLC.

Representation of Level One Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEVL) and its subsidiary Level One Bank (HQ: Michigan) in M&A, IPO, subordinated debt, and other transactions.

Represented Midland States Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSBI) in connection with its definitive agreement to acquire 100% of HomeStar common stock, and its wholly owned subsidiary HomeStar Bank and Financial Services, in exchange for 405,000 shares of Midland common stock and a commitment to provide approximately $23.5 million in debt financing to enable HomeStar to retire outstanding trust preferred securities. 

Representation of Midland States Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSBI) in connection with its acquisition of Centrue Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CFCB).

Representation of Midland States Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSBI) in its $80.1M initial public offering of common stock.

Represented Andalusia Community Bank, in executing an agreement and plan of merger with Midwest Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Illinois Bancshares, Inc.

Acted as legal counsel to STC Bancshares Corp. in connection with its pending acquisition by Wintrust Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: WTFC).