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.
Winchester is a census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, USA. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 2,155. Largely rural for most of its history, and home to agricultural businesses including the Winchester Cheese Company, Winchester experienced rapid growth during the housing construction boom in the early to mid 2000s. However, construction and growth slowed when the housing bubble burst in 2007, resulting in a housing market correction. In October 2008, the town was rocked by the brutal murders of Marine Corps Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his wife, Quiana.