‘Well-Planned’ Deals Can Win Approval, Lazard’s McMaster Says

Major acquisitions can get through regulatory scrutiny if they are “well-planned,” with regulatory work done by companies involved in the deals ahead of time, said Mark McMaster, Lazard Inc.’s global head of mergers and acquisitions.

“Big deals still can get done,” McMaster said in a Bloomberg Television interview Tuesday. “They’ll face antitrust scrutiny, but as you know there have been a couple of cases that have given issuers and the transactors some confidence that they can get things done today.”

Total M&A volume in the first quarter totaled $352.3 billion, up 70% from a ...