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Image: Morgan Bale

Morgan Bale

Partner, Corporate Department

Overview

Morgan Bale is the chair of the Investment Grade Finance practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Morgan has wide experience in all areas of domestic and cross-border bank financing.

Morgan regularly represents investment banks, other financial institutions and corporate borrowers in acquisition finance and other event-driven lending transactions, encompassing investment grade, leveraged cash-flow and asset-based syndicated credit facilities (including first and second lien-secured loans), as well as loan restructurings, debtor-in-possession financings and exit financings. Consistently ranked by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Legal 500 US and IFLR1000, Morgan is known for his deep market knowledge and, in particular, as a trusted adviser for high-profile investment-grade financings.

Morgan’s clients include Barclays, Bank of America, CIBC, Citi, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada, Wells Fargo and other major investment banks.

Accolades

  • Banking & Finance, Chambers Global
  • Banking & Finance, Chambers USA
  • Commercial Lending, The Legal 500 US
  • Banking, IFLR1000
  • Finance, Banking and Capital Markets Trailblazer, The National Law Journal (2019)
  • Banking MVP, Law360 (2014 & 2024)

 

Education

  • University of Virginia, LL.M., 2002
  • College of Law, York, LSF, 1993
  • College of Law, York, CPE, 1992
  • York University, B.A., 1989

Representations

  • Morgan Stanley and the other lenders in providing $10 billion of committed bridge financing to Verizon in connection with its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications.
  • J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs on financing for ONEOK’s $5.9 billion acquisitions of Medallion Midstream and Enlink Midstream.
  • Barclays in providing $3.15 billion in committed financing for Sixth Street Partners’ $5.1 billion acquisition of Enstar Group.
  • The lenders on the financing for Helmerich & Payne's $1.9725 billion acquisition of KCA Deutag.
  • Moody’s in connection with its $1.25 billion revolving credit agreement.
  • Bank of America on committed financing to Occidental Petroleum for its $12 billion acquisition of CrownRock Minerals.
  • Morgan Stanley on $2 billion of committed bridge financing to AGCO for its acquisition of 85% of Trimble’s portfolio of Ag assets and technologies via joint venture between the companies, for cash consideration from AGCO of $2 billion and the contribution of JCA Technologies.
  • Barclays on committed financing for Chesapeake Utilities’ acquisition of Florida City Gas from NextEra Energy
  • Morgan Stanley on $1.55 billion of committed bridge financing for RenaissanceRe’s $2.985 billion acquisition of Validus Re.
  • Goldman Sachs on $5.25 billion of committed bridge financing for ONEOK’s $18.8 billion acquisition of Magellan Midstream Partners.
  • Citi and Key Bank on £6.5 billion senior unsecured bridge and term-loan facilities for Parker Hannifin’s acquisition of Meggitt.
  • Goldman SachsCiti and Morgan Stanley on $3 billion senior secured term loan and revolving facilities for Bausch + Lomb Corporation to finance its spin-off from Bausch Health Companies and for working capital requirements.
  • Bank of America in $1.2 billion senior secured bridge, term loan and revolving facilities for Tetra Tech’s recommended offer to acquire RPS Group, a bid which successfully topped the previous recommended offer from WSP Global.
  • Goldman SachsTD BankWells Fargo and another financial institution in a $1.25 billion sustainability-linked senior unsecured revolving credit facility for Trimble Inc. (f/k/a Trimble Navigation Ltd.).
  • CIBC and another financial institution, as joint lead arrangers, in £1.8 billion bridge and term facilities for Intact Financial Corporation (Intact) to finance in part the £7.2 billion acquisition of RSA Insurance Group by Intact and Tryg A/S.
  • Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse in $7.5 billion committed bridge financing to support the merger of International Flavors & Fragrances with the Nutrition & Biosciences (N&B) Business of DuPont in a deal that values the combined company at $45 billion on an enterprise value basis.
  • Citi, as administrative agent and arranger, in a $2.75 billion amended and extended senior unsecured revolving facility for BectonDickinson and Co. to increase the existing facility and extend its maturity.
  • Citi, as administrative agent, joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner, in an amended and extended $2 billion senior unsecured revolving facility for International Flavors & Fragrances to refinance existing indebtedness.
  • Bank of America in committed senior unsecured bridge financing to support the $4 billion acquisition by Hasbro of Entertainment One.
  • Citi, as administrative agent, and Citi and another financial institution, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, in $21.8 billion bridge and term loan facilities and a $5 billion revolving working capital facility to support the $55 billion acquisition by Occidental Petroleum (OXY) of Anadarko Petroleum.
  • A major financial institution in committed bridge and term loan facilities and a $5 billion revolving working capital facility to support the $3.7 billion acquisition by Parker Hannifin of LORD Corporation.
  • Goldman Sachs, as agent, in a £5.2 billion bridge financing commitment to support the $6.4 billion acquisition by Marsh & McLennan Companies of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group.
  • Goldman Sachs, as agent, in $9 billion bridge and term loan facilities to support the $10.9 billion acquisition by Conagra Brands of Pinnacle Foods.
  • Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, as joint lead arrangers, joint bookrunners, and agents, in a $5 billion bridge financing commitment to support the $6 billion merger of CenterPoint Energy and Vectren.
  • J.P. Morgan ChaseGoldman Sachs and another major financial institution, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, in a senior unsecured bridge facility to support the $23.1 billion merger of Keurig Green Mountain (a portfolio company of JAB Holding Co.) and Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
  • Goldman Sachs in $9 billion bridge facility to support the spin-off by Twenty-First Century Fox to its shareholders of a new “Fox,” an entity comprising highly rated news, sports and broadcast businesses, as part of a series of transactions that also included the combination of the rest of the Twenty-First Century Fox businesses with The Walt Disney Co.
  • Goldman Sachs and other major financial institutions, as joint lead arrangers, in $49 billion bridge and term loan facilities to finance in part CVS Health’s $78 billion acquisition of Aetna.
  • Goldman Sachs and another major financial institution, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, in a $13.7 billion bridge facility to finance Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market.
  • Citi, as sole lead arranger and sole lead bookrunner in $15.7 billion bridge and term loan facilities, and as lead arranger and bookrunner in $4.5 billion term and revolving working capital facilities for Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD) to support BD's $24 billion acquisition of C. R. Bard.
  • Morgan Stanley, as sole lead arranger and sole lead bookrunner, in $4.5 billion committed bridge and $1.8 billion term acquisition-related facilities and a $1.5 billion revolving facility for Tyson Foods to finance, respectively, its $4.2 billion merger with AdvancePierre Foods Holdings and its general corporate purposes.
  • Goldman SachsDeutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, in £12.2 billion bridge financing to support Twenty-First Century Fox in its approximately £11.7 billion acquisition of all the share capital it does not already own of Sky.
  • Morgan Stanley, as sole lead arranger and sole bookrunner, in $3.1 billion bridge financing to support the $4.3 billion acquisition by Parker Hannifin of CLARCOR.
  • Goldman Sachs, as administrative agent, sole lead arranger and bookrunner, in an $8 billion committed bridge facility to finance the approximately $15 billion cash and stock acquisition by Great Plains Energy of Westar Energy.
  • RBC Capital Markets and Mizuho Bank, as joint lead arrangers, joint bookrunners and agents, in bridge and term facilities for Dominion Resources to finance its approximately $5.9 billion acquisition of Questar.
  • Goldman Sachs, as administrative agent, sole lead arranger and bookrunner, in a $4.2 billion committed bridge facility to finance the cash and stock acquisition by Lam Research of KLA-Tencor.
  • A financial institution in a $3.7 billion committed bridge facility to finance in part the cash acquisition by St. Jude Medical of Thoratec.
  • Morgan Stanley and another financial institution, as lead arrangers and providers, in a $2.9 billion committed bridge facility for Verisk Analytics to finance its £1.85 billion (approximately $2.8 billion) acquisition of Wood Mackenzie.
  • Morgan Stanley Senior Funding in a $3.4 billion committed bridge facility and a $1.3 billion term facility for Harris Corporation to finance its $4.75 billion acquisition of Exelis.
  • Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, as financial advisers and providers of £1.6 billion bridge facilities to XL Group to finance in part its £2.79 billion acquisition of Catlin Group.
  • Goldman Sachs, as administrative agent and arranger, in the fully committed $9.1 billion bridge facility for Becton, Dickinson and Co. to finance its $12.2 billion acquisition of CareFusion.
  • Morgan Stanley in its $2.5 billion bridge commitment to Alcoa to finance its $2.85 billion acquisition of Firth Rixson.
  • Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan in the fully-committed bridge facility for Tyson Foods to finance its $8.55 billion unilaterally binding offer to acquire The Hillshire Brands.
  • Goldman Sachs and another major financial institution in their $7.2 billion bridge commitment to Exelon to finance its acquisition of Pepco Holdings.
  • Goldman Sachs in $4.75 billion bridge commitments to finance a portion of the $8.2 billion acquisition by Sysco of US Foods.
  • AK Steel in its $1.1 billion revolving-credit facility.
  • Morgan Stanley in a 364-day investment-grade committed bridge facility to support the $2.65 billion acquisition by Weyerhaeuser of Longview Timber.
  • Goldman Sachs, as joint lead arranger, joint bookrunner and administrative agent, in a $3.5 billion senior unsecured bridge facility in connection with the $6.7 billion strategic investment by Walgreen in Alliance Boots GmbH.
  • Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, as arrangers and administrative agents, in a $1.9 billion senior unsecured bridge facility for Molson Coors to finance, in part, its $3.5 billion acquisition of StarBev.
  • A major financial institution, as sole lead arranger and sole bookrunner, in a $1 billion senior unsecured bridge facility for Kellogg to finance its $2.7 billion acquisition of Procter & Gamble’s Pringles snack business.
  • Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan, as joint bookrunners and lead arrangers, in a $1 billion bridge term loan, a $500 million revolving facility and a $250 million revolving facility for DENTSPLY International to finance its $1.8 billion acquisition of Astra Tech.
  • Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan, as joint lead arrangers, in a $2 billion investment- grade revolving facility for Marathon Petroleum Corp. to finance its spin-off from Marathon Oil Inc.
  • Morgan Stanley, as administrative agent and joint lead arranger, in a $3 billion revolving facility for Danaher to finance in part Danaher's $5.9 billion acquisition of Beckman Coulter.

*Matters may have been completed before joining Paul Hastings.

Practice Areas

Corporate

Leveraged & Syndicated Lending


Languages

English


Admissions

New York Bar


Education

University of Virginia, JD / LLM 2002

The College of Law, York, LSF 1993

The College of Law, York, C.P.E. 1993

University of York, B.A. 1989