Goodwin Advises AvalonBay on Completion of $70 Billion Merger With Equity Residential to Create Vivmark Residential, One of the Country’s Leading Real Estate Companies
Goodwin’s Public M&A, REIT, and Real Estate teams advised AvalonBay Communities, Inc., on the completion of their merger of equals with Equity Residential to create Vivmark Residential. Vivmark Residential is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “VMRK” at the opening of trading on August 18, 2026.
Vivmark Residential is now one of the country's leading real estate companies with an equity market capitalization of approximately $51 billion and an enterprise value of approximately $70 billion, with more than 184,000 rental apartments and over 11,100 apartments under construction.
AvalonBay Communities, Inc., was a member of the S&P 500 and an equity REIT that developed, redeveloped, acquired, and managed apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in Boston, Massachusetts, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, Seattle, Washington, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the company’s expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado. As of June 30, 2026, the company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 322 apartment communities containing 99,072 apartment homes in 11 states and the District of Columbia, of which 27 communities were under development and one community was under redevelopment.
The Goodwin team was led by Blake Liggio, Caitlin Tompkins, Gil Menna, Eryn Mathews, Chris Versfelt, Jessica Park, Monika Wagner, Brandon Richards, Keelin Fitzsimons, Rachel Clausen, and Madison Porter (M&A); Brian Lerman, Siobhan Murphy, Feather Moy-Welsh, James Adams, Dillon McDermott Topkins, Malia Benison, Hallie Hoffmann, Brynn Story, and Hayden Hunt (REI); Audrey Leigh, Will Goldberg, and Chloe Pletner (Capital Markets); Neal Sandford, Eliza Reed, Devan Greevy, and Kate Blansett (Tax); Alexandra Denniston, Morgan Frisoli, and Rahat Tariq (Executive Compensation); Caroline Bullerjahn, Joe Rockers, Jordan Benson, Brendan Blake, and Lee Moore (Complex Litigation); James Barri, Reid Bagwell, Ruby Wong, and Annelise Wexner (Debt Finance); Arman Oruc, Elliot Silver, and Paul Jin (Antitrust); Edward Holzwanger and Ana Victoria Alvarado (Labor); Jacqueline Klosek and Jonathan Ng (Privacy); Nathan Brodeur (Environmental); and Ai Tajima, Edward Bota Newton, and Alexandra Bargoot (Insurance).
For more information on the deal, please read the press release.