SEC Company Response from FIRST UNITED (FUNC) — Jun 4, 2020
FIRST UNITED CORP/MD/ (FUNC) (CIK 0000763907)
Date: June 4, 2020 · CIK: 0000763907 · Accession: 0001104659-20-069764
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File numbers found in text: 000-14237
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CORRESP
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Lawrence S. Elbaum lelbaum@velaw.com
Tel +1.212.237.0084 Fax +1.917.849.5379
June 4, 2020
Nicholas P. Panos
Senior Special Counsel
Office of Mergers and Acquisitions
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549-3561
Re: First United Corporation
DEFA14A filed by First United Corporation
Filed June 2, 2020
File No. 000-14237
Mr. Panos:
Set forth below is
the response of First United Corporation (the “Corporation”) to a comment received from the staff of
the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
by letter, dated June 2, 2020, with respect to its letter to shareholders, filed under cover of Schedule 14A with the Commission
on June 2, 2020, File No. 000-14237, (the “Letter to Shareholders”).
For your convenience,
the response is prefaced by the exact text of the Staff’s comment in bold, italicized text. Unless otherwise specified, all
capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meanings as in the Letter to Shareholders.
Notwithstanding the
fact the registrant purportedly is sending a letter advising shareholders of the change in the location and format of the annual
meeting, the definitive proxy statement filed on April 17, 2020 represented a different location and format. To the extent the
location and format published in the definitive proxy statement is considered a material fact, the definitive proxy statement needs
to be amended in order to reflect this change and ensure compliance with Rule 14a-9. The cover page of any supplement to the definitive
proxy statement should be designated as “Amendment No. 1” and the box referring to the “Definitive Proxy Statement”
should be checked. In addition, the EDGAR header tag “DEFR14A” should be used. See 17 CFR §232.301 within Regulation
S-T.
Vinson
& Elkins LLP Attorneys at Law
Austin
Dallas Dubai Hong Kong Houston London New York
Richmond
Riyadh San Francisco Tokyo Washington
1114 Avenue of the Americas
32nd Floor
New York, NY 10036
Tel +1.212.237.0000
Fax +1.212.237.0100 velaw.com
Securities
and Exchange Commission June 4, 2020 Page 2
RESPONSE: The
Corporation respectfully advises the Staff that it filed the Letter to Shareholders in reliance on the Staff’s guidance for
conducting shareholder meetings in light of COVID-19 concerns, issued on April 7, 2020 (the “April Guidance”).
The Corporation did not file materials consistent with the April Guidance prior to June 2, 2020 because the Corporation is a Maryland
corporation, and the State of Maryland did not disclose the position it would take on the matter of public gatherings in June 2020
until May 27, 2020.
On May 27, 2020, the
Governor of the State of Maryland issued Executive Order Number 20-05-27-01 (the “Executive Order”),
prohibiting, among other things, gatherings and events of more than ten people at all locations and venues in Maryland until after
termination of the state of emergency and the proclamation of the catastrophic health emergency has been rescinded. In response
to this information, the Corporation proceeded with changing the format of the Annual Meeting to a virtual-only meeting and, consistent
with the Corporation’s interpretation of the April Guidance, publicly announced this change in the Letter to Shareholders
four business days following the Executive Order.
In addition, the Corporation’s
definitive proxy statement, filed with the Commission on April 17, 2020 (the “Definitive Proxy Statement”)
contemplates the possibility that the Annual Meeting would be held by means of remote communication and provides the methods by
which an announcement of this change would be made. It has also elected to mail the Letter to Shareholders to its security holders
as of the record date of the Annual Meeting. The Corporation is highly confident that it has provided notice sufficiently in advance
of the Annual Meeting and that such security holders have been noticed of the change in location of the Annual Meeting in a timely
manner. As a result, the Corporation does not believe that the Definitive Proxy Statement needs to be amended in order to reflect
the change to the Annual Meeting that was described in the Letter to Shareholders.
* * * * *
Securities
and Exchange Commission June 4, 2020 Page 3
Please contact me directly
at (212) 237-0084 with any questions that you have with respect to the foregoing or if any additional supplemental information
is required by the Staff.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Lawrence S. Elbaum
Lawrence S. Elbaum