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Loyola University Medical Center may seek merger

Loyola University Health System, parent of Loyola University Medical Center in west suburban Maywood, is evaluating whether to merge with another health care system, according to sources close to the west suburban teaching hospital.

Reached this afternoon, medical center executives issued a statement saying details of their discussions are confidential. The Catholic hospital, located in west suburban Maywood, is one of five large academic medical centers in the Chicago area. Get the full story »

Unilever bid for Alberto Culver could be reviewed

From Bloomberg | Unilever’s $3.7 billion takeover of Melrose Park-based Alberto Culver Co. may be reviewed by U.K. antitrust regulators, who said in a statement that they are looking at whether the deal could trigger “a relevant merger situation” and whether it was likely to reduce competition.

CME buys Elysian Systems in derivatives buildout

Futures exchange operator CME Group Inc. on Thursday struck a deal to buy Elysian Systems Ltd., a London company that provides trading systems for over-the-counter derivatives. Get the full story »

Aon to bid $86 million for South Africa’s Glenrand

Aon Corp. will bid as much as $86 million to buy South African insurance firm Glenrand MIB Ltd., giving the world’s largest insurance broker a bigger presence in Africa’s top economy. Get the full story »

Fortune Brands to split in 3

Fortune Brands headquarters. (AP)

Fortune brands, the Deerfield-based purveyor of golf balls, Sauza tequila and Moen faucets, announced it intends to split the company into as many as three parts.

Under a plan approved by Fortune’s board, the company expects to spin off its home and security business to shareholders, sell or spin off its golf business and become a publicly-traded spirits company. Get the full story »

Nicor to be sold to AGL for $2.4B

Nicor's Naperville headquarters. (Tribune file photo)

Tuesday’s announcement that AGL Resources would acquire Naperville-based Nicor Inc. for $2.4 billion would put AGL in an envious position if energy policy moves to replace coal with natural gas — with a natural gas distribution system that would stretch from Chicago to the east coast and a bevy of natural gas storage facilities around the country.

The deal — which is subject to several layers of regulatory approval — would create the natural gas industry’s largest public company by market cap. Together, the companies would have annual revenues of $5.1 billion, according to a statement and carry a market cap that is nearly twice the size of its nearest peer in a deal expected to close in the second half of 2011. Get the full story »

CBOE’s Brodsky open to making acquisitions

CBOE CEO William J. Brodsky (center), facing camera, kicks off CBOE's first day as a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ on June 15, 2010. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

CBOE Holdings Inc. CEO William Brodsky said he is open to growth by acquisition, but added that the exchange operator’s tendency to build its own systems rather than buy them has saved shareholders money.

Asked at a conference hosted by Goldman Sachs if he would consider making acquisitions, Brodsky said, “We are certainly open to that. We are looking at things strategically in ways we couldn’t have six months ago.” Get the full story »

Ackman would finance bid for Barnes & Noble

Hedge fund manager William Ackman is raising his wager on bookseller Borders Group Inc, offering to help it buy larger rival Barnes & Noble Inc for $963.7 million. Get the full story »

Nicor shares rise on news of possible acquisition

Nicor Inc.’s stock price rose 4.24 percent to $46.76 today on reports that the Naperville energy company is set to announce a deal to be acquired by Atlanta-based AGL Resources.

The company has been shopping itself for months, courting regulated utilities and infrastructure funds with little success. Speculation arose last week that Integrys Energy Group Inc., parent of People’s Gas, was a considering a bid. AGL surfaced as Nicor’s likely buyer Monday in a report by Mergermarket, which tracks such deals and cited sources close to the situation. Get the full story »

Sara Lee sells rest of body care brands to Unilever

Sara Lee Corp. has completed the $1.6 billion sale of its body care and European detergent segments to Unilever NV, the food company said Monday. Get the full story »

AOL mulls breakup, then merger with Yahoo

AOL Inc., undergoing a radical transformation into the king of content on the Internet, is actively exploring a breakup involving a complicated series of transactions that may lead to a merger with Yahoo Inc., sources close to the plans told Reuters.

The plans are still in the exploratory stage and Yahoo has not been contacted, the sources said. The plans are also fraught with complications involving myriad moving pieces. Get the full story »

Sources: Groupon rejects Google’s offer; will stay independent

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason speaks at the company's headquarters on Aug. 31, 2010. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

By Melissa Harris and Wailin Wong

The deal didn’t tip after all.

Chicago-based Groupon Inc. has turned down an acquisition offer from Google Inc. and is staying independent, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation said Friday.

The two companies had been engaged in talks, with speculation about the marriage reaching a fever pitch over the last week. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google reportedly had offered between $5 billion and $6 billion for the daily deal start-up. Get the full story »

Snyder’s shareholders vote on Lance acquisition

Shareholders of pretzel and snack food maker Snyder’s of Hanover Inc. are casting their ballots to approve the company’s acquisition by Lance Inc.

Privately held Snyder’s makes EatSmart products, Krunchers! and Grande tortilla chips. It expects the results of the vote to be announced later Friday. Get the full story »

Integrys said to be considering bid for Nicor

From Crain’s Chicago Business | Peoples Gas parent Integrys Energy Group Inc., which owns utilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan,parent of Peoples Gas, is considering a bid for Naperville natural-gas utility Nicor Inc. At least one out-of-state utility and possibly a private-equity firm are also kicking Nicor’s tires. Get the full story>>

Nicor has been looking for a buyer for 2 months

Nicor Inc. is seeking a buyer and has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to run the auction, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Get the full story »