In the law of corporations, a merger is effected when one or more corporations becomes a part of, or merges, with another corporation so that one ceases to exist and the other continues to exist. In a merger, the company that continues to exist retains its name and identity and acquires the assets, liabilities, franchises, and powers of the corporation that ceases to exist. Attorneys who practice in mergers and acquisitions (sometimes called M & A) represent corporations and other business entities in strategizing, negotiating, and carrying out transactions in which two or more companies or corporations combine into a single new entity, a merger, or where one business purchases and absorbs the assets of another, an acquisition.
Madison is a city in Limestone and Madison Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area. It is therefore also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 36,824. The current mayor is Paul Finley.