Unicredit, Capitalia in huge bank merger

Rome -- Unicredit and Capitalia, Italy's first and third banks for market capitalization, appear about to complete their merger, sources say.

If the merger goes through -- possibly as early as Monday -- it would create Europe's second biggest bank and the largest in the euro zone, ANSA said.

The financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore said Thursday the deal would involve Unicredit offering 1.1 of its shares per Capitalia share.

The merger will create a bank with a market value of nearly 100 billion euros, placing it just behind Britain's HSBC Holdings in Europe.

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