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.
Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, both in Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 24,707. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri and is considered part of that city's Metro-East area. Famously, it is the home of the world's largest ketchup bottle, a former water tower, and is the world's horseradish capital .