Three Transactions Singled Out As Washington’s Big Deals For ‘96

The Boeing Co. acquisition of Rockwell International’s aerospace and defense operations, Washington Mutual’s purchase of American Savings Bank and the venture capital funding for Amazon.com won awards at the Fourth Annual Big Deals of Washington event.

The three financial deals were singled out from among a wide array of transactions compiled by the Perkins Coie law firm and researched by the Puget Sound Business Journal for this annual breakfast event and publication in a recent issue of the Business Journal.

Boeing’s Rockwell acquisition, which involved $860 million in stock and the assumption of $2.2 billion in debt, reshapes the industry globally.

Washington Mutual’s $1.2 billion purchase of American Savings, according to judges, “marked Washington Mutual’s emergence from the industry consolidation pack as a major force,” creating a bank with more than $43 billion in assets and 500 offices in nine Western states.

The judges’ choice for the third distinctive deal of 1996 was the $8 million in venture capital raised by Amazon.com, which judges said “signals the start of a new industry and marks online commerce as a reality.”

Amazon.com markets itself as the world’s largest bookstore.