The Federal Trade Commission, together with the Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, released the agencies’ 37th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino Report. The report presents fiscal year 2014 data on the agencies’ HSR Premerger Notification Program. The program allows the agencies to identify and challenge transactions that may substantially lessen competition in violation of federal antitrust laws. Also included in the report is a summary of the agencies’ merger enforcement activities for the year.
The report notes that 1,663 transactions were reported to antitrust agencies during FY 2014, a 25 percent increase from the 1,326 transactions reported in FY 2013. In FY 2014, the agencies brought 33 enforcement actions that preserved competition in broad sectors of the economy including consumer goods and services, pharmaceuticals, hospitals, high tech and industrial goods, and energy.
The report also includes statistical tables profiling HSR filings and investigations during FY 2014. Appendices provide a summary of transactions for the past ten years, the number of transactions reported, and the number of filings received by month during each fiscal year.
Enacted by Congress in 1976, the Hart Scott Rodino Act gives the federal government the opportunity to investigate and challenge mergers that are likely to harm consumers before injury occurs. The Commission vote to issue the report was 5-0. (FTC File No. P110014; the staff contact is Nathan Hawthorne, 202-326-3568)
The FTC’s Bureau of Competition works with the Bureau of Economics to investigate alleged anticompetitive business practices and, when appropriate, recommends that the Commission take law enforcement action. To inform the Bureau about particular business practices, call 202-326-3300, send an e-mail to antitrust{at}ftc{dot}gov, or write to the Office of Policy and Coordination, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room CC-5422, Washington, DC 20580. To learn more about the Bureau of Competition, read Competition Counts. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.