Fairness Opinions

Book excerpt: Fairness Opinions A fairness opinion, by definition, is a letter prepared by an experienced investment banker, or business appraiser, that states whether or not a transaction'from a financial point of view'is fair. The fairness opinion speaks to the ?fairness? of the financial terms of a transaction, as of a specific date, and given a set of assumptions.1 ?Fairness? in this context, parallels the notions of unbiased, impartial, and just. As denoted by the colloquial term ?fair play? or the business phrase ?an arm's length transaction,? a fairness opinion represents whether a deal is fair to shareholders, particularly a company's minority shareholders, all material matters and circumstances considered.