Wintrust Financial Corp. in Lake Forest, Ill., will raise up to $126.5 million in capital through a preferred stock offering.
The $16 billion-asset company said Tuesday that it will use the proceeds from a variety of purposes, including organic growth, acquisitions and reducing or refinancing existing debt. The company will sell 110,000 preferred shares for $110 million and has granted its underwriters an option to buy up to an additional 16,500 shares for $16.5 million to cover over allotments.
Wintrust has made numerous acquisitions lately. Since the beginning of the year, it has agreed to buy an insurance-premium funding unit, a failed bank and a trust company. In 2011, it
