Matthew M. Guest
Education
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, A.B. 1997, Phi Beta Kappa
- Yale Law School, J.D. 2000 (Notes Editor, Yale Law Journal)
Matthew M. Guest
Matthew M. Guest, a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, is a corporate and transactional lawyer who primarily focuses on advising public companies on strategic matters, acquisitions and dispositions, dispute resolutions, securities law matters, takeover defense and general corporate matters. A substantial portion of his practice involves representing banks and other financial services companies.
Selected recent publicly disclosed representations include:
- Capital One in its pending $5.15 billion acquisition of Brex and its 2025 acquisition of Discover
- Webster Financial in its pending $12.2 billion acquisition by Santander
- Comerica in its $10.9 billion merger with Fifth Third Bancorp
- The Charles Schwab Corporation in its pending $660 million acquisition of Forge Global Holdings and numerous other transactions
- Chemours in numerous transactions and settlements
- TowneBank in its $203 million acquisition of Old Point Financial Corporation and its $476 million acquisition of Dogwood State Bank
- Wells Fargo in its sale of its non-agency commercial mortgage servicing business
- Bremer Financial Corporation in its $1.4 billion sale to Old National Bancorp
- Southport Acquisition Corporation in its $1.6 billion merger with Angel Studios
- CapStar Financial Holdings in its $344 million sale to Old National Bancorp
Selected historical publicly disclosed matters include:
- Capital One in many transactions, including the acquisitions of ING Direct USA, the HSBC U.S. card business, Chevy Chase Bank, and numerous card partnerships and acquisitions and dispositions of card portfolios and other businesses
- Valley National Bancorp in its acquisition of Bank Leumi USA and in other transactions and capital markets issuances
- Webster Financial in numerous transactions
- Thermo Fisher Scientific in numerous acquisitions, including Patheon, FEI, Life Technologies, Affymetrix and Dionex
- South State Corporation in its 2020 merger-of-equals with CenterState Bank Corporation, its 2017 acquisition of Park Sterling and numerous prior acquisitions
- The Strategic Development Committee of the Board of TD Ameritrade in TD Ameritrade’s 2020 merger with The Charles Schwab Corporation, as well as TD Ameritrade in its 2017 acquisition of Scottrade and numerous other transactions
- BB&T in its merger-of-equals with SunTrust, and numerous other acquisitions, including the acquisitions of Susquehanna Bancshares and Bank of Kentucky
- Several of the most significant transactions arising out of the financial crisis, including Wells Fargo in its acquisition of Wachovia, Bank of America in its acquisition of Merrill Lynch and PNC in its acquisition of National City
- Representing numerous banks on bids for and acquisitions of failed banks from the FDIC
- Representing a principal party to more than 50 community bank mergers
- Representing major financial institutions on dozens of acquisitions of, and non-control investments in, financial technology businesses and teams
Matt Guest has been named MVP by Law360, Dealmaker of the Year by American Lawyer, and one of the 500 Leading Dealmakers in America by Lawdragon.
Mr. Guest graduated from Yale Law School. While at Yale, he was notes editor of Volume 109 of the Yale Law Journal. Prior to attending law school, Matt received his A.B. in Economics and International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with highest distinction and honors and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Matt is a member of the Board of the Arts and Sciences Foundation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Select Publications
- Financial Institutions M&A Key Trends and Outlook,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, April 24, 2026.
- Financial Institutions MA Key Trends and Outlook,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, February 3, 2025.
- Wachtell Publishes Financial Institutions M&A Guide for 2024,
in NYU Law School’s Blog on Compliance and Enforcement, May 8, 2024.
- Regulatory Litigation, in Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel,
Robert L. Haig editor-in-chief, published by Thomson Reuters 2021.
- The Resurgence of SPACs: Observations and Considerations,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, August 22, 2020.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Landmark Approval of BB&T and SunTrust Merger of Equals,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, December 14, 2019.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Bank M&A Remains Sound Strategy in Chaotic Equity Markets; Inattention to Deal Basics Can Lead to Failed Deals,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 16, 2019.
- The 2018 Dealmakers of the Year: Matthew Guest,
in The American Lawyer, April 2018.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Capable and Committed Boards Drive Transactions and Value Creations,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, October 16, 2017.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Significant Activity in All Sectors as Financial Institutions Innovate and Evolve,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, October 12, 2016.
- Federal Reserve Provides Guidance on Bank M&A,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, July 10, 2015.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - The M&A Landscape: Financial Institutions Rediscovering Themselves Amid Continued Regulatory Change, Intensifying Investor Activism and Technological Disruption,
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 29, 2015.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Key Trends in Financial Institutions M&A and Governance,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter Volume 52 Number 1, March 2014.
- Traditional Strategic Mergers Building Next Generation of Regional Bank Powerhouses,
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, April 15, 2013.
- Time to Retire Trust Preferred Securities,
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, July 4, 2012.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Recent Deals Show Usefulness of Contingent Consideration in Bridging Valuation Gaps,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter Volume 48 Number 3, May 2012.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Federal Reserve Approval of Capital One and PNC Transactions Provide a Path Forward for Bank Acquisitions,
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, March 6, 2012.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS 2012 -The Outlook for M&A,
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, February 16, 2012.