Thursday, March 27, 2008

Canadian banks scouting for buying opportunities

March 27 - Dealscape Blog (The Deal) - Outperforming their American rivals these days -- thanks to the U.S. credit crisis -- Canada's banks are on the prowl for acquisitions south of the border -- but don't expect them to ride to the aid of troubled U.S. banks. Reuters reported Wednesday that Royal Bank of Canada, the country's largest lender, is cautiously eyeing the M&A landscape to the south, though it is not interested in buying an investment or corporate bank, but rather wealth management and private banking.

"Yes, we are interested in being an opportunistic buyer, but not in the capital markets side of the business," RBC president and CEO Gordon Nixon told a Canadian financial services conference in Toronto. Although RBC is primarily looking at wealth managers, Nixon added, however, that banks are always considering large, transformational deals. Read More.

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