Market Chatter -- Corporate finance press digest
LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories involving U.S. and European companies were reported by media on Tuesday:
** The U.S. government should provide a guarantee to meet American International Group Inc's (AIG.N) counterparty collateral requirements, the insurer's former Chief Executive Maurice Greenberg said in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. [nBNG349651]
Anglo Irish Bank ANGL.I is set to tap the bond market in a bid to shore up its funds, the Irish Independent reported. [nL2203983]
** Banks which are about to lend 900 million pounds to Centrica (CNA.L) to help fund its acquisition of a 25 per cent stake in British Energy BGY.L have been told by Sam Laidlaw, the firm's chief executive, that they must hold on to the debt rather than sell it on, the Daily Telegraph reported.
** Persimmon (PSN.L) is considering refinancing its debt prematurely in order to avoid breaching its banking covenants, the Financial Times reported. The housebuilder has hired NM Rothschild to renegotiate the terms of its net debt, which currently stands at 900 million pounds, the paper said. ** The owners of fast-growing Russian lender Ursa Bank and top-30 bank MDM are eyeing a merger that would create Russia's second largest private bank, Vedomosti reported, quoting members of the banks' boards. [ID:L2180907] ** Negotiations to restructure the debt of media mogul Sumner Redstone's National Amusements Inc, which owns controlling stakes in CBS Corp (CBS.N) and Viacom Inc (VIAb.N) and which faces a year-end deadline to repay some $800 million, are moving slowly and a deal looks increasingly unlikely this year, the Wall Street Journal said. [ID:BNG259900]
** Belgium's top administrative court has cast doubt on the legality of the Belgian government's planned coupon for shareholders of troubled financial group Fortis (FOR.BR), business daily De Tijd said. [nL2689939]
(Reporting by Laurence Fletcher; Editing by David Holmes)
