October 2 Filing Starts New 30-Day Waiting Period for Western Union–Intermex Deal
Key Facts
Western Union and Intermex filed new notices with the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division on October 2, 2026, starting a new 30-day waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, according to Intermex’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing means the federal regulatory process has entered a new review cycle after the previous clearance expired. But it does not say the waiting period ended on October 30 or confirm that the two agencies did not intervene, contrary to the initial version of the report. Nor is the expiration of the waiting period alone sufficient to complete the deal, as California approval and other closing conditions are still required. Intermex shares, traded under the ticker IMXI, closed at $9.16 on October 30, according to EL7 data.
The new filing was needed because the initial waiting period expired on October 6, 2025, while clearance under the law remains valid for one year, according to Intermex’s filing. The previous clearance was therefore no longer valid for completing the deal after October 6, 2026, prompting the parties to file new notices on October 2. The companies announced on October 7, 2025, that the initial waiting period had ended, noting that the acquisition remained subject to other regulatory approvals, approval by Intermex shareholders and customary closing conditions. This places the latest filing in the context of a regulatory process that continued beyond the end of the initial waiting period, rather than an announcement that the new review had been completed. The announced deal terms remain in place until the parties satisfy the closing requirements.
Western Union and Intermex said in a June 24 update that the relevant regulators in 51 U.S. states and territories, and in all international jurisdictions, had approved the deal or did not object to it. The update said at the time that approval from one U.S. state remained pending; it did not announce that all approvals had been completed. In August, Western Union announced that it had received approval from New York, while California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation suspended an extension of an approval it had previously granted to continue reviewing the deal’s impact on the state’s operations. Intermex’s latest filing said the department’s approval in California is still required, after the department suspended its earlier approval pending further review. California thus remains an open regulatory matter despite the announced progress in other states and jurisdictions.
New York’s approval includes commitments concerning money transfer services after the acquisition: Western Union must maintain existing Intermex locations and continue providing transfer services to six countries for three years after the deal closes. The countries are Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, according to the New York State Office of the Attorney General. The commitments also limit price increases to those that track inflation, the office said. These conditions link regulatory approval to protecting service continuity and prices for consumers in the destinations covered by the commitments. Their implementation, however, remains contingent on the acquisition closing, which is still subject to renewed California approval and the expiration or termination of the new waiting period, as well as satisfaction or waiver of the other closing conditions.
The acquisition agreement announced in 2025 provided for the purchase of Intermex for $16 in cash per share, valuing the shares at about $500 million, according to Western Union’s announcement. That contractual consideration compares with Intermex shares’ close of $9.16 on October 30, according to EL7 data, without changing the outstanding regulatory conditions or guaranteeing that the deal will close. The outcome of the new review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act depends on the waiting period expiring or being terminated, while closing also requires renewed approval from California’s department. The filing did not set a new date for completing the deal and did not announce that the new waiting period had ended. Completion of the regulatory reviews and closing conditions therefore remain the next stated steps in the process.