September’s 193 preliminary HSR transactions closed fiscal 2026 at 2,555, the largest total since fiscal 2022. With deal signings slowing, a proposed record $250 million HSR penalty and the return of targeted second requests, here is what the numbers mean for eDiscovery providers and second request compliance work in 2027.
HSR reported transactions reached 271 in August 2026, a fiscal-year high and 41.9% above August 2025. With fiscal 2026 at 2,362 and third-quarter deal volume falling sharply, here is what the gap between filings and signings means for second request planning.
HSR reported transactions reached 233 in July 2026, a 20.7% jump from June and 29.4% above July 2025, lifting the preliminary fiscal 2026 total to 2,091 with two months to go. This month’s report pairs the FTC’s count with the fiscal 2025 annual report’s finalized data, a proposed final judgment carrying a record $12 million in HSR penalties, the DOJ’s optional Expedited Consideration process for second requests, second-quarter GDP growth held at 1.5% in the BEA’s second estimate, and a record $2.8 trillion first half for global M&A.
The European Commission fined Google €890 million and required compliance within 60 days. The harder problem is evidentiary: gatekeepers face growing pressure to document how ranking decisions were made, not simply to change them.
Google’s €890 million DMA penalty package starts a 60-day compliance clock Read More »
June HSR reported transactions fall to 193 as preliminary FY2026 total reaches 1,858 ComplexDiscovery Staff The FTC’s Premerger Notification Office recorded 193 HSR-reported transactions in June 2026, a 17.9% step down from May’s 235 — the highest monthly total since
June HSR reported transactions fall to 193 as preliminary FY2026 total reaches 1,858 Read More »
The FTC logged 235 HSR filings in May 2026 — a FY2026 high, the strongest month since December 2021, and a 58.8 percent jump over last year. With FY2026 volume running 22 percent ahead of FY2025 and a new form rulemaking in play, here is what the surge means for Second Request and eDiscovery planning.
HSR Filings Hit 235 in May 2026, the Highest Monthly Total Since December 2021 Read More »
HSR premerger filings hit 203 in March 2026 — the highest monthly total since December — as a federal appellate court restored the legacy HSR form and Q4 2025 GDP growth was revised down to a slim 0.5 percent. Here is what the numbers mean for deal advisors and legal operations teams planning for the rest of the fiscal year.
HSR Filings Hit 203 in March 2026 as Court Overturns Expanded Form and GDP Slips to 0.5% Read More »
The FTC’s settlement with Match Group over OkCupid’s undisclosed transfer of three million user photos to AI startup Clarifai marks the first federal enforcement action framing AI training data collection as a consumer protection violation — with no fine but a 20-year compliance leash.
FTC’s OkCupid Action Reframes AI Training Data as a Consumer Protection Issue Read More »
Generative AI is beginning to materially reshape eDiscovery economics, but pricing maturity has not kept pace with adoption. The Winter 2026 eDiscovery Pricing Survey shows stable benchmarks for forensic collection and hosting, persistent opacity in document review billing, and an emerging $0.11 to $0.50 per-document pricing zone for GenAI-assisted review that could challenge traditional review models.
A Complete Analysis of the Winter 2026 eDiscovery Pricing Survey Read More »
HSR filings held firm in February 2026 even as GDP growth slowed and the legal status of the expanded HSR form shifted. This analysis explains what the latest filing data means for eDiscovery, cybersecurity, and information governance teams preparing for deal-driven data risk.
The HSR Pulse: Navigating the 2026 M&A Data Surge Read More »
HSR filing volume isn’t just a deal counter—it’s an early-warning system for when M&A work is about to get hard. The late-2025 spike and January 2026’s steady level point to a pipeline that will compress diligence and integration timelines, amplifying cyber, privacy, governance, and eDiscovery bottlenecks—especially if agency scrutiny escalates into a Second Request.
The HSR Early-Warning System: How Filing Surges Amplify Cyber and eDiscovery Bottlenecks Read More »
While HSR filing volumes are recovering from their 2023 lows, the real story is the intensity of review. New FY 2024 data reveals that Second Request rates have rebounded to 3.0%—effectively double the rate seen during the pandemic deal boom. For eDiscovery professionals, this signals that the “new normal” isn’t about volume; it’s about the collision of high scrutiny and billion-dollar deal complexity.
Second Requests Settle In: HSR Data Points to a New Normal in M&A Scrutiny Read More »
