UPDATE 3-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions
(Updates CryoCath, Alitalia, Top Ships; Adds Wrigley and others)
Sept 25 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 2000 GMT on Thursday.
(For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK\] )
** Washington Mutual Inc (WM.N), the large U.S. savings and loan company beleaguered by mortgage losses, has approached private-equity firms about a potential takeover after a line-up of listed firms showed reluctance, the Wall Street Journal said citing people familiar with the situation. To read more, please double click on [ID:nBNG140453]
** HSBC is not in talks to buy UBS, a person familiar with the matter said after renewed speculation about interest from Europe's largest bank. [ID:nLP629709]
** Wm Wrigley Jr Co WWY.N shareholders overwhelmingly approved the gum and candy maker's $23 billion sale to Mars Inc, a move that will create the world's largest confectionary company. [ID:nN25456142]
** Four major unions including Italy's biggest threw their support behind an investor bailout of flag carrier Alitalia AZPIa.MI, breathing life into a deal that seemed all but dead and averting the risk of grounded flights for now. [ID:nLP697347]
** The planned merger of Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) and Northwest Airlines Corp NWA.N to form the world's largest carrier cleared one more hurdle, when the companies' shareholders overwhelmingly approved the deal. [ID:nN25330754]
** Medtronic Inc (MDT.N) agreed to buy Canada's CryoCath Technologies Inc CYT.TO for about $380 million (C$400 million) in a bid to strengthen its position in the growing market to treat atrial fibrillation, or abnormal heart rhythms. [ID:nBNG368035]
** Cherokee International Corp CHRK.O said it agreed to be bought by Lineage Power Holdings Inc, a power technology company, in an all-cash deal worth about $105 million. [ID:nBNG376160]
** Top Ships Inc (TOPS.O) said it is exploring a possible sale to an affiliate of George Economou, the single largest shareholder in the Greek shipping company and CEO of DryShips Inc (DRYS.O), for $6.00 per share, a 57 percent premium to the stock's closing price Wednesday. [ID:nBNG110668]
** British stock broker Collins Stewart Plc (CLST.L) said it was no longer in talks about a possible offer for the company. [ID:nLP670124]
** Hynix Semiconductor Inc (000660.KS) said it would sell part of its stake in a Chinese joint venture to partner Numonyx for $100 million, as Numonyx seeks to raise its control over the Hynix-led chip plant. [ID:nSEO193478]
** South Korea's antitrust watchdog said it had granted conditional approval for eBay Inc's (EBAY.O) plan to buy a controlling stake in South Korean online retailer Gmarket Inc GMKT.O. [ID:nSEO5736]
** French insurer AXA (AXAF.PA) and Munich Re's insurance unit ERGO (ERGG.DE) are among the preliminary bidders for a small South Korean life insurer put up for sale, a source at the domestic insurer said. [ID:nSEO166615]
** China's Xuzhou Construction Machinery Science & Technology Co 000425.SZ said that it will buy operating assets worth 5.31 billion yuan ($778 million) from its state-run parent via a share placement. [ID:nSHA183111]
** Grange Resources Ltd (GRR.AX) will merge with Australian Bulk Minerals in an all stock deal to create a A$1 billion ($833 million) mining company, Grange said in a statement. [ID:nSYU005173] (Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore, Amiteshwar Singh and Mary Meyase in Bangalore)
