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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Shares in ABN Amro Holding NV and Barclays PLC rose Tuesday, as investors applauded the idea of a potential combination of the two banks — or bet that their talks will falter and each may eventually be bought by someone else.
If a deal does take place, it would be one of the largest cross-border combinations in European banking history. Britain's Barclays has a market capitalization of about $86 billion while ABN, the Netherlands' largest bank, is valued at around $76 billion.
Both companies confirmed late Monday that they were in "exclusive" merger talks. On Tuesday, Barclays, the presumptive senior partner in the deal, added that a combined company would be incorporated in Britain, with Dutch headquarters, a Dutch-nominated chairman and a British chief executive.
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