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.
Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States and a bedroom community of San Diego . The population was 3,252 at the 2000 census. At $245,631, it is one of the highest income communities in the United States with at least 1,000 households. The CDP is primarily residential with one shopping avenue as well as several private schools, and single family residential areas situated on uncommonly large lots. Rancho Santa Fe has many strict architectural design codes as can be exemplified by several attempts from local residents to improve upon or build new residences. Forbes reported Rancho Santa Fe as having the third most expensive ZIP code in the United States, and most expensive in California, with a median home sale price of $2,585,000. Some homes in ZIP code 92067 but not within the CDP are valued at more than the median home-value within the Master Planned Community that makes up the official CDP, and many people who live within the 92067 ZIP code cite their community as Rancho Santa Fe even though they do not live within the strict boundaries of the Master Planned Community. The United States Postal Service also calls the entire 92067 and entire 92091 ZIP codes "Rancho Santa Fe". The downtown is centered around the intersection of Linea del Cielo/Paseo Delicias and La Granada/Via de Santa Fe. It is the site of offices of financial firms, restaurants, and small stores. A library and a school are also located here. The community directory, the Rancho Santa Fe Blue Book, is published annually to provide residents with a comprehensive account of businesses in and around Rancho Santa Fe. Rancho Santa Fe was one of the hardest hit communities during the 2007 Witch Creek fire. Hundreds of houses, many valued in the millions, burned to the ground as firefighters had difficulty accessing the more rugged areas with flames rapidly advancing due to strong Santa Ana winds. Several entire neighborhoods within the community were lost in the blaze.