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.
Columbia is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville. Originally, the place was called "Wright's Ferry. " It was founded in 1726 by English Quakers from Chester County. Population counts were these: in 1890, 10,199; in 1900, 12,316; in 1910, 11,454; in 1920, 10,836; and in 1940, 11,547. The population was 10,311 at the 2000 census.