Statement from State Street Corporation on Brown Brothers Harriman Investor Services Acquisition

Rhea-AI Summary

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) has mutually agreed with Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) to terminate the proposed acquisition of BBH's Investor Services business. The decision arises from regulatory feedback indicating potential delays and complexity, which could limit anticipated benefits and increase operational risks. CEO Ron O'Hanley emphasized that this choice reflects a strategic decision for the best interests of clients and shareholders. No penalties are associated with the termination of the Sale and Purchase Agreement.

Positive

• The decision to terminate the acquisition allows State Street to focus on organic growth and its strategic objectives.
• No contractual penalties are imposed on either party, minimizing financial impact.

Negative

• The termination may indicate challenges in navigating regulatory hurdles in the financial services sector.
• Potential loss of market opportunities and synergies expected from the acquisition.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) today announced that it has mutually agreed with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH) to terminate State Street’s proposed acquisition of BBH’s Investor Services business.

After consideration of both regulatory feedback and potential transaction modifications to address that feedback, State Street has determined that the regulatory path forward would involve further delays, and all necessary approvals have not been resolved. The proposed modified transaction structure was increasingly complex, presented additional operational risk to State Street and would limit the anticipated transaction benefits relative to original expectations. It would also include delays in the timing and potential limits to the amount of deal synergies. Therefore, we have determined that it is not in the best interests of clients, shareholders or employees to continue to invest time and resources in the transaction in this challenging financial services M&A environment.

“From the beginning of our discussions with BBH in 2021, I have been impressed by the quality of the BBH Investor Services business and its people. The decision not to proceed with this transaction was not taken lightly and is in no way a reflection of the quality of the BBH franchise,” said Ron O'Hanley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of State Street Corporation. “Since we announced the proposed acquisition, we maintained our focus on achieving a transaction that would meet our strategic and financial objectives. Our overall strategy is strong and differentiated, and we remain confident in the organic growth trajectory of our business. We will continue to be deliberate in managing our capital in the best interest of our shareholders.”

The Sale and Purchase Agreement does not provide for a contractual penalty by either State Street or BBH in connection with this termination.

About State Street Corporation

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $35.7 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $3.3 trillion* in assets under management as of September 30, 2022, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 41,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com.

*Assets under management as of September 30, 2022 includes approximately $55 billion of assets with respect to SPDR® products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This News Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of United States securities laws, including statements about our goals and expectations regarding our strategy, growth prospects, capital management, business, financial and capital condition, results of operations, the financial and market outlook, effects of terminating the proposed acquisition of the Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) Investor Services business and the business environment. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by such forward-looking terminology as “strategy,” “trajectory,” “will,” “outlook,” "intend," "target," “guidance,” “expect,” “priority,” “objective,” “plan,” “forecast,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “seek,” “may,” “trend,” and “goal,” or similar statements or variations of such terms. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, are inherently uncertain, are based on current assumptions that are difficult to predict and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in those statements, and those statements should not be relied upon as representing our expectations or beliefs as of any time subsequent to the time this News Release is first issued.

Important factors that may affect future results and outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• We are subject to intense competition, which could negatively affect our profitability;
• We are subject to significant pricing pressure and variability in our financial results and our AUC/A and AUM;
• Our development and completion of new products and services, including State Street Digital and State Street Alpha^SM, and the enhancement of our infrastructure required to meet increased regulatory and client expectations for resiliency and the systems and process re-engineering necessary to achieve improved productivity and reduced operating risk, may take an extended period to implement, involve costs and expose us to increased risk;
• Our business may be negatively affected by our failure to update and maintain our technology infrastructure;
• The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate certain risks and uncertainties for our business;
• Acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures and divestitures, and the integration, retention and development of the benefits of our acquisitions, pose risks for our business;
• Competition for qualified members of our workforce is intense, and we may not be able to attract and retain the highly skilled people we need to support our business;
• We could be adversely affected by geopolitical, economic and market conditions; including, for example, as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, actions taken by central banks to address inflationary pressures, challenging conditions in global equity markets, and disruptions in fixed income markets such as those impacting the UK gilts;
• We have significant International operations, and disruptions in European and Asian economies could have an adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition;
• Our investment securities portfolio, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in the financial markets;
• Our business activities expose us to interest rate risk;
• We assume significant credit risk to counterparties, who may also have substantial financial dependencies with other financial institutions, and these credit exposures and concentrations could expose us to financial loss;
• Our fee revenue represents a significant portion of our consolidated revenue and is subject to decline based on, among other factors, market conditions, competition, currency valuation and investment activities of our clients and their business mix;
• If we are unable to effectively manage our capital and liquidity, our consolidated financial condition, capital ratios, results of operations and business prospects could be adversely affected;
• We may need to raise additional capital or debt in the future, which may not be available to us or may only be available on unfavorable terms;
• If we experience a downgrade in our credit ratings, or an actual or perceived reduction in our financial strength, our borrowing and capital costs, liquidity and reputation could be adversely affected;
• Our business and capital-related activities, including common share repurchases, may be adversely affected by capital and liquidity standards required as a result of capital stress testing;
• We face extensive and changing government regulation in the jurisdictions in which we operate, which may increase our costs and compliance risks;
• We are subject to enhanced external oversight as a result of the resolution of prior regulatory or governmental matters;
• Our businesses may be adversely affected by government enforcement and litigation;
• Any misappropriation of the confidential information we possess could have an adverse impact on our business and could subject us to regulatory actions, litigation and other adverse effects;
• Our calculations of risk exposures, total RWA and capital ratios depend on data inputs, formulae, models, correlations and assumptions that are subject to change, which could materially impact our risk exposures, our total RWA and our capital ratios from period to period;
• Changes in accounting standards may adversely affect our consolidated financial statements;
• Changes in tax laws, rules or regulations, challenges to our tax positions and changes in the composition of our pre-tax earnings may increase our effective tax rate;
• In addition to income tax, we are subject to audit or other examination, and litigation or other dispute resolution proceedings, with U.S. and non-U.S. tax authorities regarding non-income-based tax matters. Our interpretations or application of tax laws and regulations, including with respect to withholding, transfer, wage, use, stamp, service and other non-income taxes, could differ from that of the relevant governmental taxing authority, or we may experience timing or other compliance deficiencies in connection with our efforts to comply with applicable tax laws and regulations, which could result in the requirement to pay additional taxes, penalties and/or interest, which could be material;
• The transition away from LIBOR may result in additional costs and increased risk exposure;
• Our control environment may be inadequate, fail or be circumvented, and operational risks could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations;
• Cost shifting to non-U.S. jurisdictions and outsourcing may expose us to increased operational risk, geopolitical risk and reputational harm and may not result in expected cost savings;
• Attacks or unauthorized access to our information technology systems or facilities, or those of the third parties with which we do business, or disruptions to our or their continuous operations, could result in significant costs, reputational damage and impacts on our business activities;
• Long-term contracts expose us to pricing and performance risk;
• Our businesses may be negatively affected by adverse publicity or other reputational harm;
• We may not be able to protect our intellectual property;
• The quantitative models we use to manage our business may contain errors that could result in material harm;
• Our reputation and business prospects may be damaged if our clients incur substantial losses or are restricted in redeeming their interests in investment pools that we sponsor or manage;
• The impacts of climate change, and regulatory responses to such risks, could adversely affect us; and
• We may incur losses as a result of unforeseen events including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, the emergence of a new pandemic or acts of embezzlement.

Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by any forward-looking statements are set forth in our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K and our subsequent SEC filings. We encourage investors to read these filings, particularly the sections on risk factors, for additional information with respect to any forward-looking statements and prior to making any investment decision. The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release should not by relied on as representing our expectations or beliefs as of any time subsequent to the time this News Release is first issued, and we do not undertake efforts to revise those forward-looking statements to reflect events after that time.

© 2022 State Street Corporation - All Rights Reserved

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221130005581/en/

Media Relations Contacts:



Ed Patterson

+1 404 213 3106

epatterson@statestreet.com



Carolyn Cichon

+ 1 617 664 8672

ccichon@statestreet.com



Investor Relations Contact:



Ilene Fiszel Bieler

+1 617-664-3477

ifiszelbieler@statestreet.com

Source: State Street Corporation

FAQ

What led to State Street terminating the acquisition of BBH's Investor Services business?

State Street terminated the acquisition due to regulatory feedback and anticipated delays, which increased operational risks and complexity.

What was State Street's assessment of the acquisition's benefits?

State Street determined that the regulatory path would limit the expected benefits and synergies of the transaction.

Are there penalties associated with the termination of the acquisition deal for State Street or BBH?

No, the Sale and Purchase Agreement does not impose any contractual penalties on either State Street or BBH.

How does State Street plan to move forward after the acquisition termination?

State Street aims to focus on its organic growth initiatives and strategic objectives without the complexities of the proposed acquisition.

What impact does the termination of the acquisition have on State Street's shareholders?

The termination allows State Street to avoid potential financial strain from a complex acquisition and focus on its existing business growth.