The Interbank Deposit Protection Fund has chosen Bper to negotiate the assignment of Carige's controlling stake. The news was announced in the late afternoon of January 10, with stock exchanges closed. On the table of the management committee of the Fitd, which holds 79,99% of the Ligurian institute together with the Voluntary Scheme, there were also two other proposals, that of Crédit Agricole Italia and that of Cerberus.
Bper was granted one month exclusive during which to complete a due diligence and complete "the definition and signing of an acquisition contract", reads the note from the Fitd. The time allowed will not go beyond February 15, underlines the Fund.
Bper's offer is non-binding and in the event of completion of the transaction provides for the launch by Bper Banca of a public offer on the remaining Banca Carige shares not held by the Fitd and by the SVI for a consideration of 0,80 euro per share. On the other hand, no information was provided on the amount of the recapitalization pertaining to the Fund. According to rumors, the Bper board of directors would have improved the previous offer over the weekend, reducing the amount requested from 1 billion to 600-700 million.
"The decision taken by the FITD Management Committee is part of the process of transferring the shareholding started on 2 April 2021 and, in line with the best practices on the subject, structured in various and specific preparatory, executive and finalization phases of the operation, in compliance with the statutory and legal provisions concerning the preventive interventions of the Fund which envisage, among others, specific qualitative limits (competitive and transparent procedures, cost-effectiveness and participation of a third party) and quantitative to the possibility of intervention)”, concludes the Fitd.
In Piazza Affari, awaiting the decision and in a day of general declines, Carige shares gained 0,94%, while Bper shares closed up 0,3%.
