Halifax, the mortgage bank, is in talks with Equitable Life over buying the mutual's fund management business, sales force and administration systems.... [more]

SAVE Group, Britain's biggest independent petrol retailer, has collapsed into administration after failing to secure additional support from its bankers. Alan Bloom of Ernst & Young said he was confid... [more]

William Baird, the textiles group that is trying to sue Marks and Spencer for dropping it as a clothing supplier, has announced that bid talks with Alchemy Partners, the venture capitalists have colla... [more]

Just2clicks has become that latest high profile internet company to put itself up for sale after failing to attract enough users to its online marketplaces. ... [more]

Shares in Brancote tumbled as the mineral explorer, which last year shed all its businesses to focus on a Patagonian gold mine, announced takeover talks had fallen through.... [more]

Durlacher, the technology investment company that was one of the stars of the dotcom boom, is said to be looking to find a merger partner within six months. ... [more]

Institutional investors in British Telecommunications have been told that the company is considering shelving the proposed flotation of its Cellnet mobile business in favour of a £50 billion merger wi... [more]

GE Capital, the financial services arm of General Electric, the giant American conglomerate, has made a last minute £1.2bn offer to buy Equitable Life, the stricken mutual life insurer.... [more]

Chubb, the US insurer, has outlined a possible exit strategy from Hiscox, a week after the specialist UK insurance underwriter rejected a £311m takeover approach. ... [more]

Littlewoods, once Britain's biggest privately owned company, is thought to have approached Great Universal Stores with the aim of being taken over.... [more]

Galen, the speciality pharmaceuticals group, has hinted that it now regards its services division as non-core, although it said that it had no plans to sell it in the short term. ... [more]

Allied Domecq has launched a £369m bid for Montana, the New Zealand producer of wines such as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, in an effort to expand its wine interests. However, Lion Nathan, the Australa... [more]

Richard Desmond, owner of Express Newspapers, has teamed up with Galliard Homes in a scheme to sell the West Ferry printing site. The 20-acre site in East London could fetch up to £25m according to Mr... [more]

Kingfisher, the retail conglomerate, is understood to have received three offers for its Superdrug health and beauty chain, valuing the high street business at £300-£350m.... [more]

Vodafone Pacific ended months of speculation over its interest in Cable and Wireless Optus by announcing that it had lodged an indicative offer for Australia's second largest carrier. To ease competi... [more]

Pizza Express has announced that it would "categorically" not be making a further bid for City Centre Restaurants.... [more]

Despite an improved bid, GE Capital gave up its attempts to overturn the agreement reached by Equitable Life to sell its operational assets to Halifax, the mortgage bank for up to £1bn.... [more]

Enic, the sport and media company, is seeking shareholder approval to sell its knowledge management company, and Glasgow Rangers, the Scottish football club. The company is said to want to be able to ... [more]

BT's leading shareholders are said to be impatient for action on disposals of its non-core businesses in the UK, Europe and Japan.... [more]

PA Consulting, one of Britain's largest management consultancies is said to be close to agreeing a merger with Arthur D Little, its American peer. This is the second time the two companies have been i... [more]