Merrill Corporation is pleased to announce that Merrill DataSite® was named “Global M&A Advisor M&A Product/Service of the Year” at the 11^th Annual M&A Advisor Awards Gala, held December 11th at The New York Athletic Club in New York City.

Merrill DataSite’s Virtual Data Room (VDR), is a complete, secure VDR solution that optimizes the due diligence process and offers a highly efficient method for sharing critical business information for electronic due diligence via a secure online data room, accessible by way of the Internet. Through the deployment of advanced technology, dedicated multi-lingual customer service and constant development upgrades, Merrill DataSite has emerged as the leading global provider of VDR solutions.

The Awards Gala honored deal teams, deal makers and firms whose activities set the standard for the industry. This year a record of 423 nominees representing over 600 companies became finalists. An independent judging committee of 16 top M&A Restructuring and Finance industry experts determined the ultimate recipients of the awards.

“It is an honor to be recognized as the winner of this category, particularly among such strong contenders,” said Ed Bifulk, President of Merrill DataSite. “This win demonstrates how integral our VDR services have become to financial transactions.”

Award categories included honors for deals such as “M&A Deal of the Year,” “Corporate/Strategic Acquisition of the Year,” “Cross Border Deal of the Year,” and other financing categories. There were also honors for deals in a variety of industry sectors, such as media and entertainment and consumer/retail. Merrill DataSite was nominated and selected as a winner in the “M&A Product/Service of the Year” category.

About Merrill DataSite
Merrill DataSite is a secure virtual data room (VDR) solution that optimizes the due diligence process by providing a highly efficient and secure method for sharing key business information between multiple parties. Merrill DataSite provides unlimited access for users worldwide, as well as real-time activity reports, site-wide search at the document level, enhanced communications through the Q&A feature and superior project management service – all of which help reduce transaction time and expense. Merrill DataSite’s multilingual support staff is available from anywhere in the world, 24/7, and can have your VDR up and running with thousands of pages loaded within 24 hours or less.

With its deep roots in transaction and compliance services, Merrill has a cultural, organization-wide discipline in the management and processing of confidential content. Merrill DataSite is the first VDR provider to understand customer and industry needs by earning an ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificate of registration – the highest standard for information security – and is currently the world’s only VDR certified for operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Merrill DataSite’s ISO certification is available for review at: www.datasite.com/security.htm.

As the leading provider of VDR solutions, Merrill DataSite has empowered more than 2 million unique visitors to perform electronic due diligence on thousands of transactions totaling trillions of dollars in asset value. Merrill DataSite VDR solution has become an essential tool in an efficient and legally defensible process for completing multiple types of financial transactions. Learn more by visiting www.datasite.com today.

About Merrill Corporation
Founded in 1968 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., Merrill Corporation (www.merrillcorp.com) is a leading provider of outsourced solutions for complex business communication and information management. Merrill’s services include document and data management, litigation support, language translation services, fulfillment, imaging and printing. Merrill serves the corporate, legal, financial services, insurance and real estate markets. With more than 5,000 people in over 40 domestic and 22 international locations, Merrill empowers the communications of the world’s leading organizations.