UPDATE 1-Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n" readability="46">Dec 31 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Monday:

* Guardian Media Group Plc has received expressions of interest for its Auto Trader subsidiary that could lead to a 600 million pounds ($967.68 million) windfall for the struggling newspaper group, the Telegraph reported. ()

* Mumbai-based billionaire Ajay Piramal's eponymous Piramal Group is in advanced talks to buy U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital Management LP's 20.27 percent stake in India's largest truck financier, Shriram Transport Finance Co Ltd , for around 35 billion rupees, the Economic Times reported citing two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations. ()

* Shares of Australia's Sundance Resources Ltd surged more than 17 percent on Monday after the Republic of Congo granted it a key mining permit and following reports China's Hanlong Group plans to complete its long-delayed $1.4 billion takeover by March.

* Taiwan's Chinatrust Commercial Bank is in talks with U.S. investment fund Lone Star Funds and other shareholders of Tokyo Star Bank to take over the Japanese lender for some 50 billion yen ($580.75 million)Japanese media reported on Sunday.

* Carlo Tassara Group, former majority owner of Polish bank Alior Bank SA, is expected to name advisors this week to sell its remaining stake in the company, Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper reported on Sunday.

* Consolidation of European banks is not yet at an end, and Germany's sector with its many small banks will have to change, the co-chief executive of Deutsche Bank AG told a German newspaper.

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Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n">Dec 31 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Monday:

* Mumbai-based billionaire Ajay Piramal's eponymous Piramal Group is in advanced talks to buy U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital Management LP's 20.27 percent stake in India's largest truck financier, Shriram Transport Finance Co Ltd , for around 35 billion rupees, the Economic Times reported citing two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations. ()

* Shares of Australia's Sundance Resources Ltd surged more than 17 percent on Monday after the Republic of Congo granted it a key mining permit and following reports China's Hanlong Group plans to complete its long-delayed $1.4 billion takeover by March.

* Taiwan's Chinatrust Commercial Bank is in talks with U.S. investment fund Lone Star Funds and other shareholders of Tokyo Star Bank to take over the Japanese lender for some 50 billion yen ($580.75 million)Japanese media reported on Sunday.

* Carlo Tassara Group, former majority owner of Polish bank Alior Bank SA, is expected to name advisors this week to sell its remaining stake in the company, Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper reported on Sunday.

* Consolidation of European banks is not yet at an end, and Germany's sector with its many small banks will have to change, the co-chief executive of Deutsche Bank AG told a German newspaper.

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Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n">Dec 21 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Friday:

* General Motors Co's loss-making Opel division agreed to sell six European facilities to its U.S. parent in return for winning extended funding, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

* The French government is trying to arrange a deal in which France Telecom SA would acquire part of Alcatel-Lucent SA's submarine cable unit, seen as a 'strategic' asset, French business daily Les Echos reported.

* French luxury group PPR SA is in exclusive talks to sell its Cyrillus and Vert Baudet children's apparel brands to investment fund Alpha, online newspaper Wansquare reported.

* Six bulge bracket private equity funds have been short-listed to purchase a 70 percent stake owned by private equity fund Warburg Pincus LLC in the unlisted Alliance Tire Group, a specialised off-highway tyre maker, the Economic Times reported citing three people with direct knowledge of the development.

* A secretive start-up founded by the man who popularized the Slingbox has been in talks with companies considering buying it, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people close to the company. Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc have been cited as participants.

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UPDATE 1-Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n" readability="58">Dec 21 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Friday:

* Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co has submitted a bid to buy Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc, the maker of London's black cabs that's under creditor protection, Bloomberg reported citing two people familiar with the matter.

* Votorantim Cimentos SA, the biggest cement producer in Brazil, is preparing an initial public equity offering of at least $3 billion, Bloomberg reported citing three people with direct knowledge of the matter.

* Jason Kilar, chief executive of Hulu LLC, has asked the site's owners-Walt Disney Co, Comcast Corp and News Corp -for about $200 million to fund more program purchases and an overseas expansion, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the situation.

* General Motors Co's loss-making Opel division agreed to sell six European facilities to its U.S. parent in return for winning extended funding, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

* The French government is trying to arrange a deal in which France Telecom SA would acquire part of Alcatel-Lucent SA's submarine cable unit, seen as a 'strategic' asset, French business daily Les Echos reported.

* French luxury group PPR SA is in exclusive talks to sell its Cyrillus and Vert Baudet children's apparel brands to investment fund Alpha, online newspaper Wansquare reported.

* Six bulge bracket private equity funds have been short-listed to purchase a 70 percent stake owned by private equity fund Warburg Pincus LLC in the unlisted Alliance Tire Group, a specialised off-highway tyre maker, the Economic Times reported citing three people with direct knowledge of the development.

* A secretive start-up founded by the man who popularized the Slingbox has been in talks with companies considering buying it, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people close to the company. Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc have been cited as participants.

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UPDATE 1-Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n" readability="53">Dec 20 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Thursday:

* The intensifying struggle by private equity groups to raise funds has spurred plans by Apax Partners to call time on its current fund marketing push after reckoning its 9 billion euros ($11.93 billion) target is out of reach, the Financial Times reported. ()

* IntercontinentalExchange Inc and NYSE Euronext are in talks about a possible merger, which may be structured as a takeover of NYSE, the Wall Street Journal reported.

* The London Stock Exchange Group Plc has cut its offer for LCH.Clearnet by almost a third to 312 million euros ($413.7 million), to reflect rising capital requirements, sources familiar with the matter said.

* MetLife Inc, the largest U.S. life insurer, is in advanced talks to buy Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA's Chilean pension management unit, Bloomberg reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

* General Electric Co is set to sign on Thursday a deal to buy Italian aerospace supplier Avio excluding its space division, sources close to the talks said.

* Australia's Macquarie Group Ltd has emerged as the lead bidder to buy Robeco, four people familiar with the matter said this week. The asset management arm of Dutch bank Rabobank NV could fetch around 3 billion euros ($3.98 billion), one of the sources said.

* Bulge-bracket private equity funds are in talks to buy a minority stake in Lafarge SA as the French cement multinational taps new avenues to fund its expansion, given the global parent's preoccupation with a massive restructuring programme caused by high debt, the Economic Times reported. ()

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Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n">Dec 20 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Thursday:

* IntercontinentalExchange Inc and NYSE Euronext are in talks about a possible merger, which may be structured as a takeover of NYSE, the Wall Street Journal reported.

* The London Stock Exchange Group Plc has cut its offer for LCH.Clearnet by almost a third to 312 million euros ($413.7 million), to reflect rising capital requirements, sources familiar with the matter said.

* MetLife Inc, the largest U.S. life insurer, is in advanced talks to buy Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA's Chilean pension management unit, Bloomberg reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

* General Electric Co is set to sign on Thursday a deal to buy Italian aerospace supplier Avio excluding its space division, sources close to the talks said.

* Australia's Macquarie Group Ltd has emerged as the lead bidder to buy Robeco, four people familiar with the matter said this week. The asset management arm of Dutch bank Rabobank NV could fetch around 3 billion euros ($3.98 billion), one of the sources said.

* Bulge-bracket private equity funds are in talks to buy a minority stake in Lafarge SA as the French cement multinational taps new avenues to fund its expansion, given the global parent's preoccupation with a massive restructuring programme caused by high debt, the Economic Times reported. ()

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RPT-Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n" readability="51">Dec 19 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Wednesday:

* Pfizer Inc plans to cut about 20 percent of its sales force for primary-care drugs, Bloomberg News reported, as the pharmaceutical company copes with the loss of a patent for top-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor.

* United Parcel Service Inc has offered more concessions in a bid to win EU regulatory approval for its 5.2 billion euro ($6.87 billion) bid for TNT Express, two people familiar with the matter said.

* Industrial machinery maker SPX Corp is closing in on a roughly $4.2 billion deal to buy rival Gardner Denver Inc , as it makes progress in securing financing, a source familiar with the matter said.

* Getco Holding Company LLC will buy Knight Capital Group Inc for about $2 billion after sweetening its offer for the equities market-making firm to beat out rival Virtu Financial LLC, people close to the deal said.

* French state bank Caisse des Depots has teamed up with Abu Dhabi investment fund ADIA to form a powerful consortium to bid for Total SA's TIGF gas network business, sources said.

* BIDV, Vietnam's largest partly private lender by assets, has delayed its domestic share listing because of difficulties in financial markets and a stock market slump, the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper reported.

* India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd said it will launch a $1 billion infrastructure debt fund, for which final approval from market regulator SEBI is expected soon, the Indian Express reported citing the Press Trust of India.

View the original article here

Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

n">Dec 19 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Wednesday:

* Pfizer Inc plans to cut about 20 percent of its sales force for primary-care drugs, Bloomberg News reported, as the pharmaceutical company copes with the loss of a patent for top-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor.

* United Parcel Service Inc has offered more concessions in a bid to win EU regulatory approval for its 5.2 billion euro ($6.87 billion) bid for TNT Express, two people familiar with the matter said.

* Industrial machinery maker SPX Corp is closing in on a roughly $4.2 billion deal to buy rival Gardner Denver Inc , as it makes progress in securing financing, a source familiar with the matter said.

* Getco Holding Company LLC will buy Knight Capital Group Inc for about $2 billion after sweetening its offer for the equities market-making firm to beat out rival Virtu Financial LLC, people close to the deal said.

* French state bank Caisse des Depots has teamed up with Abu Dhabi investment fund ADIA to form a powerful consortium to bid for Total SA's TIGF gas network business, sources said.

* BIDV, Vietnam's largest partly private lender by assets, has delayed its domestic share listing because of difficulties in financial markets and a stock market slump, the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper reported.

* India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd said it will launch a $1 billion infrastructure debt fund, for which final approval from market regulator SEBI is expected soon, the Indian Express reported citing the Press Trust of India.

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