REFILE-Market Chatter - Corporate finance press digest

July 23 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Monday:

* EU regulators will allow a bid by HongKong's Hutchison 3G to buy France Telecom SA's Orange Austria if the new combined group permits other Austrian operators to access its network, according to an Austrian daily on Saturday, citing sources.

* NRG Energy Inc struck a deal to buy rival GenOn Energy Inc for $1.7 billion in stock, forming the largest U.S. independent power producer as the companies contend with sagging electricity prices.

* India's largest software services exporter Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp have entered the race to acquire Lodestone Management Consultants, the Zurich-headquartered management and technology consulting firm. Infosys Ltd is the other company in the fray, the Financial Express reported.

* Lloyds Banking Group Plc faces the indignity of another cut price sell-off as buyers walk away from its 1.2 billion pounds Project Lundy auction. The state-backed bank has had to cut the price of the loans from a proposed 70p in the 1 pound to just 50p after failing to attract viable interest in a sale, the Telegraph reported.

* The U.S. group that led construction of the Olympic Park and a New York-listed rival are the latest companies considering bids to oversee the UK's 5 billion pounds ($7.82 billion) nuclear decommissioning programme, the Independent reported.

* Morgan Stanley is in advanced talks over selling a stake in its multibillion-dollar commodities trading division to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, CNBC reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

* Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group plans to sell three music labels belonging to takeover target EMI to independent labels rather than its closest competitors, the Financial Times reported.

* Tata Chemicals Ltd, soda ash manufacturer and salt maker, is creating a holding company based out of Singapore to park all its natural resources in the US, the UK and Africa, joining conglomerates Essar Group and Vedanta Resources in creating global arms to raise money to fund expansions and acquisitions both in India and abroad, the Financial Express reported.

* Rupert Murdoch's resignation from directorships which control News Corp titles including the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times, has sparked speculation that the company will sell its UK newspapers, the Telegraph reported.

* King.com, Britain's answer to Angry Birds producer Zynga Inc, is planning to make an initial public offering on Nasdaq next year, the Telegraph reported.