Unwanted Suitor Raises the Stakes In Fight for ABN.

The article reports on a bidding war over the purchase of ABN Amro Holding NV of the Netherlands. ABN had agreed to be acquired by the British bank Barclays PLC for $88.35 billion in stock but on April 25, 2007 it received an unwelcome $98.58 billion takeover offer from a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (RBS). For the RBS offer to succeed, RBS would have to break up the existing agreement with Barclays and ABN's agreement to sell its Lasalle Bank Unit to Bank of America.