Market Chatter -- Corporate finance press digest
LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories involving U.S. and European companies were reported by media on Thursday:
* Administrators have pulled the plug on the proposed sale of fitness and sports club operator Esporta after failing to reach an agreement with possible buyers over price, the Financial Times reported.
David Lloyd Leisure had wanted to buy the group's 20 upmarket racquet clubs but the sale was cancelled when no buyer was found for the weaker fitness club unit, the FT said, citing bankers familiar with the auction.
* Fidelity International is cutting several hundred jobs from its UK operations, the FT reported. The latest round of job cuts will be completed by the new year, the paper said.
* Santander's (SAN.MC) UK private shareholders will not be able to participate in the bank's 7 billion euro ($8.84 billion) rights issue because there was not enough time to allow them to participate, the FT reported.
* Some of the world's top banks are backing a proposal to develop a mandatory central clearing system for the $55 trillion credit default swap market, a report in the Financial Times said on Thursday [ID:nLK661500].
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(Compiled by Douwe Miedema)
