Olsen Palmer Launches Kansas City Office, Expanding Bank M&A Advisory Practice
Washington, DC (February 2, 2023) – Olsen Palmer is pleased to announce the launch of a Kansas City office to support the firm’s active and growing bank M&A advisory practice in the region. The office will be led by Frank Berndt, Managing Director, 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 assessments of strategic alternatives. This is Olsen Palmer’s 5th office, complementing the firm’s headquarters in Washington D.C. and existing offices in Chicago, Denver, and Birmingham.
Mr. Berndt brings almost 20 years of experience working with or advising financial institutions, has advised on more than 50 bank M&A transactions throughout his career, and is the #2 ranked individual bank M&A advisor nationwide according to S&P Global, based on the number of transactions he has advised on since 2019. Prior to joining Olsen Palmer in 2017, Mr. Berndt worked as both a commercial lender and VP within the commercial credit department at BB&T (now Truist) as well as in the Financial Institutions Group of Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division. Mr. Berndt earned 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 with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as an Investment Banking Representative and a Uniform Securities Agent.
Christopher Olsen, Managing Partner of Olsen Palmer, said, “We are very excited about the launch of our Kansas City office. As we are already one of the nation’s leading M&A advisors to community banks in the Midwest, an additional office in the region was a natural decision and one that reflects Olsen Palmer’s strategic commitment to providing best-in-class strategic and M&A advice to community banks in Kansas and Missouri.” Mr. Olsen continued, “Frank is a fantastic investment banker that has a rare ability to listen to and truly understand client preferences and, from there, help them get where they want to go. We look forward to a greater number of banks benefitting from Frank’s guidance.”
“I am excited for the opportunity to continue working with bankers throughout Kansas and Missouri. It has been my experience that bankers in the area are looking for honest, straight-forward advice from advisors who value relationships rather than transactions, which directly aligns with Olsen Palmer’s unique, relationship-based approach,” said Mr. Berndt. “I am very much looking forward to building long-lasting relationships and helping banks realize their strategic goals.”
For more information regarding the new Kansas City office, contact Olsen Palmer Director of Marketing, Jessica Dominguez, at 202-240-1260 or jdominguez@olsenpalmer.com.
About Olsen Palmer
Olsen Palmer LLC is a nationally-recognized independent investment banking firm that exclusively advises community banks across the spectrum of Mergers & Acquisitions. By design, Olsen Palmer combines the same M&A expertise of a traditional investment banking firm with the agility, responsiveness, and lack of conflicts of an independent firm – specializing in sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, valuations, fairness opinions, branch acquisitions and divestitures, and Board-level assessments of strategic options.
