US Antitrust Reviews of Mergers Get Longer

Mergers and acquisitions have accelerated sharply since the financial crisis faded, but the government’s pace for reviewing proposed deals is slowing.

The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are taking more time to investigate their most intensely scrutinized mergers, according to data compiled by antitrust lawyer Paul Denis of Dechert LLP. In such deal reviews concluded in 2015, more than 10 months elapsed, on average, between the transaction’s announcement and a yes-or-no decision by the government. That’s an increase from an average of seven months in recent years.