ATHENS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Greece's top lender National Bank said on Friday it had made a friendly merger offer to the country's third largest lender Alpha Bank.
It said it was offering 8 new NBG shares for every 11 Alpha shares. The announcement came minutes after the Athens bourse suspended trading in the two banks over merger rumours.
'National Bank confirms that on January 18, 2011, it submitted a merger proposal to Alpha Bank,' NBG said in a statement.
(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Writing by Ingrid Melander) Keywords: GREECE ALPHA BANK/NBG Keywords: GREECE ALPHA BANK/NBG =2 (ingrid.melander@reuters.com ; +30 210 337 6438; Reuters Messaging: ingrid.melander.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
It said it was offering 8 new NBG shares for every 11 Alpha shares. The announcement came minutes after the Athens bourse suspended trading in the two banks over merger rumours.
'National Bank confirms that on January 18, 2011, it submitted a merger proposal to Alpha Bank,' NBG said in a statement.
(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Writing by Ingrid Melander) Keywords: GREECE ALPHA BANK/NBG Keywords: GREECE ALPHA BANK/NBG =2 (ingrid.melander@reuters.com ; +30 210 337 6438; Reuters Messaging: ingrid.melander.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.