Shearman & Sterling acted as counsel to Ecopetrol S.A. in connection with a public offering of $350 million aggregate principal amount of its 4.250% Notes due 2018, $1.3 billion aggregate principal amount of its 5.875% Notes due 2023 and $850 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.375% Notes due 2043. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as underwriters. This transaction represented the first time in four years that Ecopetrol had accessed the international capital markets.

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Shearman & Sterling represented RBS Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as joint book-running managers and representatives of the several underwriters in connection with a shelf takedown of $425 million of 3.200% Senior Notes due 2018, $425 million of 5.000% Senior Notes due 2023 and $400 million of 6.200% Senior Notes due 2043, issued by ONEOK Partners, L.P. and guaranteed by ONEOK Partners Intermediate Limited Partnership.

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In one of the largest corporate bond offerings in Latin America of 2013, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP has represented underwriters in a $2.5 billion offering of senior notes issued by Colombia’s state-owned and primary oil and gas producer and exporter Ecopetrol S.A.

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Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is representing major Chilean bottler and beverage producer Compañía Cervecerias Unidas S.A. (CCU), and its consolidated subsidiaries, in the offering of $670 million in shares in the form of American Depository Receipts (NYSE: CCU) and rights, listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Shearman & Sterling represented John Deere Owner Trust 2013-B, as the issuing entity, John Deere Receivables, Inc., as the seller and depositor, and John Deere Capital Corporation, as the sponsor and servicer, in connection with the issuance and sale of approximately $848.6 million of asset-backed notes. The notes are backed by agricultural and construction equipment retail installment sale and loan contracts secured by new and used agricultural and construction equipment, the security interests in the equipment financed thereby and the proceeds thereof (the “receivables”). John Deere Capital Corporation purchased the receivables from Deere & Company and John Deere Construction & Forestry Company.

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Simpson Thacher is representing J.P. Morgan Securities LLC in its role as financial advisor to Boise Inc. (“Boise”) in connection with Packaging Corp. of America’s (“PCA”) announced acquisition of Boise Inc. for $12.55 per share in a deal valued at about $1.995 billion, including $714 million of Boise debt.

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Cravath represented the underwriters, led by Deutsche Bank Securities, J.P. Morgan Securities, BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Wells Fargo Securities, in connection with the US$183 million registered offering of common stock of TriMas Corporation, a global manufacturer and distributor of products for industrial, commercial and consumer end markets. The shares were listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The transaction closed on September 16, 2013.

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Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP announced that it has represented the underwriters in the largest corporate debt offering on record – Verizon Communication’s $49 billion bond sale to fund the company’s purchase of Vodafone Group PLC’s interest in Verizon Wireless.

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Davis Polk is advising Sterling Financial Corporation in connection with its $2 billion merger with Umpqua Holdings Corporation. The transaction, which is subject to approval by each company’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the first half of 2014.

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Simpson Thacher represented the Toronto-Dominion Bank (“TD Bank”) in its offering of $2.5 billion Floating Rate Senior Medium-Term Notes due 2016, $500 million 1.500% Senior Medium-Term Notes due 2016 and $750 million 2.625% Senior Medium-Term Notes due 2018.

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