New York (HedgeCo.Net) – The tug of war over Wachovia continued yesterday, as Citigroup and Wells Fargo tried to reach an agreement over the future of the Charlotte-based bank.
According to transcripts from a teleconference held between U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan and the companies, a solution might be in the cards that entails Wachovia being split between Citigroup and Wells Fargo.
"There are negotiations between Wells Fargo and Citi about a possible grand solution that would preserve the shareholder value for Wachovia as represented by the Wells Fargo deal, but that would involve not a single choice between Citigroup and Wells Fargo," said David Boies, who represents Wachovia.
For now, both Citigroup and Wells Fargo extended a cease-fire that was originally ordered on Monday by Federal Reserve Officials for fears of market retributions.
Citigroup was believed to have a lock on Wachovia, after their $2.1 billion bid bought them the branch system of the troubled bank. Though not the best deal for Wachovia, having their assets seized by the FDIC was not a viable alternative. After they accepted the proposal, Wells Fargo came to the table and offered an astounding $15.1 billion for the entirety of Wachovia, sending Citigroup into a rage and forcing the issue of an exclusivity agreement.
Jane Sherburne, who also represents Wachovia, hopes that they can “facilitate in whatever way we can a negotiated settlement of this matter without escalating the issues in a litigation setting.”
In addition to the acquisation concerns, Citigroup is also going after Wells Fargo, seeking $60 billion in damages for interferring with the deal.
Julie Scuderi
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