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Charles Schwab says the Federal Reserve Board has given the final approval of its $26 billion purchase of TD Ameritrade, and the deal should close on Oct. 6.
The two brokerage firms had a total of $6.1 trillion of client assets in August. In June, the combined assets handled by their registered investment advisor, or RIA, clients was $2.6 trillion — of which $1.9 trillion was at Schwab and $700 billion at TD Ameritrade.
Specifically, the Fed said Toronto-Dominion Bank ("TD Bank") of Canada can acquire a minority, non-controlling interest in Schwab as part of the transaction.
The news comes four months after the Department of Justice cleared the deal and closed its review of antitrust concerns. Shareholders of both firms also gave their approval of the deal in early June.
"As all necessary approvals of the proposed acquisition have now been received, Schwab expects to close the transaction on Oct. 6, subject to the customary closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement," it said in a statement late Wednesday.
The Fed released its statement on the deal at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Moments later, former TD Ameritrade Institutional executive Dani Fava tweeted: "It's official – @TDAmeritrade has become @CharlesSchwab." (Fava is now head of strategic development at Envestnet).
The full integration of the two firms — which announced the transaction 10 months ago — should take 18 to 36 months to complete after the deal officially closes. This means the technology tie-up and related efforts won't be done until April 2022 at the earliest and by October 2023 at the latest.
Until then, Schwab and TD Ameritrade will operate as separate businesses.
"We are very pleased with the Federal Reserve's actions, which allow us to finalize our planned acquisition of TD Ameritrade," explained Schwab President and CEO Walt Bettinger, in a press release.
"We are now focused on taking the last steps needed to close the transaction so that we can begin the important work of becoming one company and realizing the full potential of this combination on behalf of our clients," Bettinger added.
Details of the Deal
TD Bank is selling its 43% interest in TD Ameritrade to Schwab and acquiring 9.9% of Schwab's voting common and some 3.7% non-voting common shares in the transaction.
Upon completion of the merger, TD Bank should control total U.S. deposits of about $348.8 billion, or 2.1% of the total deposits of insured depository institutions in the United States, according to the Fed.
In its decision, the Fed said that given the size of the two firms, the large number of internet-based rivals and the "diffuse geographic nature of TD [Bank]'s and Schwab's internet deposits, the proposed transaction would not result in a material increase in concentration in any single market … ."
As part of its review, the Fed assessed the post-merger links between TD Ameritrade and Schwab, including the equity investment, directors serving on several boards (so-called director interlocks) and a large deposit sweep arrangement.
It concluded that "the set of linkages presented … would not significantly increase risks to financial stability."
Integration Plans
In early August, Schwab said TD Ameritrade's thinkorswim and thinkpipes trading platforms, educational resources and tools would be part of what it offered clients of independent advisors and other investors.
