At $2.1 trillion in 2014, overall U.S. syndicated lending was just shy of 2013’s $2.14 trillion record. M&A-related financings, at $457 billion, were up 27 percent from 2013 and approaching 2007’s $471 billion record. Including financings for Burger King and Community Health Systems, leveraged M&A activity reached $267 billion, up 21 percent from 2013 and ranking only below 2007’s record of $357 billion. 
In 2007, LBO financings reached $207 billion compared to this year’s $92 billion. Instead, corporates in the leveraged space borrowed $116 billion to back M&A transactions in 2014, up 31 percent from 2013. Meanwhile, investment grade M&A financings reached an all-time record of $174 billion in 2014, driven by Actavis Plc’s more than $37 billion financing backing its acquisition of Allergan Inc. and also including Medtronic Inc.’s $16 billion financing backing its acquisition of Covidien Plc, Zimmer’s $12 billion in credit facilities partly backing its acquisition of Biomet Inc. and loans for Becton Dickinson & Co, Reynolds, Halliburton, Tyson Foods and others. Underliers
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US leveraged loans returns turn negative in October
The Bloomberg US Leveraged Loan Index (Ticker: LOAN) has returned -0.26% this month through October 21, reducing its year-to-date return…
M&A activity begins to tick upward
In the third quarter of 2026, acquisition-linked loan volume across North America and Europe reached about $47 billion, up from $30.6 billion in Q2 and $29.5 billion a year ago.
