Schiff Hardin has deep experience in financial institution acquisitions, including interstate and intrastate acquisitions of banks, thrifts and trust companies, bank and thrift branch acquisitions, holding company formations, merger conversions of mutual thrifts, FDIC assisted transactions, thrift supervisory acquisitions, acquisitions of non-banking businesses, dispositions and redemptions of minority interests, charter conversions, branch applications and home office relocations. We also have extensive experience in representing financial institutions in planning for and defending against unsolicited takeovers, including such defensive measures as shareholder rights plans, charter and bylaw amendments, ESOPs, executive severance agreements and "white knight" transactions.