AMP CEO Says AXA Merger Must Be Economically Responsible
November 16 2009 - 8:45PM
Dow Jones News
AMP Ltd. (AMP.AU) Chief Executive Craig Dunn said Tuesday the
wealth manager's proposed takeover of AXA Asia Pacific Ltd.
(AXA.AU) has to make sense economically.
Some analysts have said an increase in the value of the joint
proposal with AXA SA (AXA) will be required to get an agreement
from the independent directors and minority shareholders of AXA
Asia Pacific.
"Combining with AXA would accelerate the delivery of key parts
of our strategy and make us even more competitive, but it only
makes sense at a price that's economically responsible," Dunn said
in an address to business people at a Trans Tasman Business Circle
lunch in Melbourne.
"We're a financially disciplined company and will remain so," he
said.
The existing offer has been rejected by AXA APH's independent
directors. Under the complex proposal, each minority AXA APH
shareholder would receive 0.6896 AMP shares and around A$1.38 cash
for each of their shares. The cash component of the offer varies
with movements in the A$/US$ exchange rate but will be at least
A$1.2071 per share.
AMP would buy AXA APH, including the 53.9% owned by AXA SA, and
keep the Australian and New Zealand businesses. It would then sell
the Asian operations to Paris-based AXA SA for around A$7.73
billion.
-By Rebecca Thurlow, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-2-8272-4679;
rebecca.thurlow@dowjones.com
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