WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Olsen Palmer is pleased to announce the opening of an office in Kansas City to support the firm’s active and growing banking M&A advisory business in the region. The office will be led by Frank Berndt, chief executive officer, who will lead the firm’s efforts in Kansas and Missouri, including sell-side M&A advisory, buy-side M&A advisory, valuations, fairness opinions, and board-level valuations of strategic alternatives. This is Olsen Palmer’s fifth office, complementing the company’s Washington DC headquarters and existing offices in Chicago, Denver and Birmingham.
Mr. Berndt brings nearly 20 years of experience working with or advising financial institutions, has advised on more than 50 bank M&A transactions during his career, and is the 2nd level bank M&A advisor national second S&P global, based on the number of transactions he has advised on since 2019. Prior to joining Olsen Palmer in 2017, Berndt worked as both a commercial lender and as a vice president within the commercial credit department at BB&T (now Truist) and at the Financial Institutions Group of Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division. Berndt holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a double major in finance and international business, from James Madison University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. He is licensed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as Investment Banking Representative and Uniform Securities Agent.
Christopher Olsen, Managing Partner at Olsen Palmer, said, “We are very excited about the launch of our Kansas City office. Since we are already one of the nation’s leading mergers and acquisitions advisors for community banks in the Midwest, an additional office in the region was a natural decision and reflects Olsen Palmer’s strategic commitment to providing the best strategic and mergers and acquisitions advice to community banks in Kansas and Missouri. Mr. Olsen continued, “Frank is a fantastic investment banker who has a rare ability to truly listen and understand clients’ preferences and, from there, help them get where they want to go. We look forward to more banks benefiting from Frank’s leadership.”
“I am excited about the opportunity to continue working with bankers in Kansas and Missouri. In my experience, bankers in the area are looking for honest, direct advice from advisors who value relationships over transactions, which aligns directly with Olsen Palmer’s unique, relationship-based approach,” he said. Berndt. “I look forward to building long-lasting relationships and helping banks achieve their strategic goals.”
For more information on the new Kansas City office, contact Frank Berndt at 816-379-4029 or [email protected].
About Olsen Palmer
Olsen Palmer LLC is a nationally recognized independent investment banking firm that exclusively advises community banks across the spectrum of mergers and acquisitions. By design, Olsen Palmer combines the same M&A expertise of a traditional investment banking firm with the agility, responsiveness and conflict-free nature of an independent firm specializing in sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, valuations, fairness opinions, branch advice on acquisitions and divestitures and board-level assessments of strategic options. For more information, visit www.OlsenPalmer.com.
