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.
Clearwater is a city in Stearns and Wright counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 858 at the 2000 census. Most of the city lies in Wright County, with only a small part of the city's area extending into Stearns County. The Wright County portion of Clearwater is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion in Stearns County is part of the St. Cloud, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.