1. Higher Thresholds For HSR Filings

On January 24, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission announced revised, higher thresholds for premerger filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The filing thresholds are revised annually, based on the change in Gross National Product (GNP) and after last year’s atypical decrease they have again increased.

The new thresholds will become effective on February 23, 2022. Acquisitions that have not closed by the effective date will be subject to the new thresholds.

The HSR Act notification requirements apply to transactions that satisfy the specified “size of transaction” and “size of person” thresholds. The key adjusted thresholds are summarized in the following chart:

While the filing thresholds have changed, the filing fees have not, and will be based on the new thresholds as follows: $45,000 for transactions valued at more than $101 million but less than $202 million; $125,000 for transactions valued at more than $202 million but less than $1.0098 billion; and $280,000 for transactions valued at more than $1.0098 billion.

2. Higher Thresholds For the Prohibition Against Interlocking Directorates

Higher thresholds for the prohibition in Section 8 of the Clayton Act against interlocking directorates became effective on January 24, 2022. Section 8 prohibits, with certain exceptions, one person from serving as a director or officer of two competing corporations if two thresholds are met. Applying the new thresholds, competitor corporations are covered by Section 8 if each one has capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating to more than $41,034,000, with the exception that the interlock is not prohibited if the competitive sales of either corporation are less than $4,103,400.