The lack of tension at the Union League was palpable this afternoon, as Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) members and shareholders gathered to vote on the proposed merger with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and a round of informal interviews found not single vote against the proposed CME/CBOT merger.

“Preliminary indications are that this thing is going to pass overwhelmingly,” said Charlie Carey, CBOT Chairman.

While a vote tally isn’t yet available, CME spokespeople publicly declared victory to the press. The CME increased its bid on Friday morning, offering a stock swap ratio of .375 CME shares for each CBOT share, up from .35.

“I think it’s a fair deal, that’s what people were waiting for. It didn’t become a fair deal until Friday morning. All anybody really wanted was for it to be fair,” said independent trader Terry Donegan.

In a statement to the press, Jeffrey C. Sprecher, chairman and chief executive officer of the Intercontinental Exchange Inc. said, “Despite our disappointment in the outcome, our proposal has brought many benefits for both CBOT and ICE stockholders. For CBOT stockholders, ICE's involvement has created nearly $3 billion in additional value through our willingness to recognize the true worth of your company.”