Mergers and Acquisitions

Would a reduction from five health insurance giants to three trigger a flashing light for regulators concerned about industry competition? That's how many big companies could remain after the proposed combinations of Anthem with Cigna and Aetna with Humana, and experts say it would at a minimum bring close scrutiny of the deals.

A bill to allow private licensees to take over the state-controlled sale of wine and liquor in Pennsylvania is under construction by House and Senate Republicans, with votes possible in the coming days, an architect of the plan said Friday.

Health insurer Cigna has rejected a $47 billion offer to be acquired by its larger rival, Anthem.

Ralph Roberts, a businessman with a gentle demeanor who built Comcast from a small cable TV system in Mississippi into one of the nation's largest entertainment companies, has died.

Assurant Inc. says it will sell or shut down its health insurance division that has struggled financially since the introduction of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Gov. Chris Christie has signed a measure that would allow the sale of Tesla and other zero-emission cars in New Jersey.

During Chris Christie's first term as governor, he made tax incentives a cornerstone of a promised "New Jersey Comeback" that would lure new businesses to the state.

America's largest electric company is settling a lawsuit that claimed shareholders lost millions of dollars when Duke Energy surprised investors by ousting its CEO hours after completing a long-anticipated buyout of its smaller neighbor.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker's plan to merge Wisconsin's two major economic development agencies would create a new unaccountable entity, minority Democrats on the Legislature's budget committee said Wednesday.

Antitrust regulators are challenging the $3.5 billion sale of US Foods to Sysco, saying the deal would hurt customers by reducing competition between food supply companies.

A federal regulator says Corinthian College students will be forgiven a total of $480 million in loans because the for-profit school used "bogus" job prospects to persuade them to pay tuition with expensive private loans.

The head of a firm that intends to buy a shuttered Bucksport, Maine, paper mill says he will be skeptical about three companies interested in purchasing and reopening the facility until they offer prices.

Reaction in the three-state region surrounding Vermont Yankee is mixed as the nuclear plant prepares to send its last electrons to the grid in the coming days.

Cigarette makers Reynolds American Inc. and Lorillard Inc. have scheduled special shareholder meetings to vote on their planned $25 billion merger.

IBM Corp. and the state of Indiana are turning to mediation in hopes of settling their dispute over IBM's failed attempt to privatize Indiana's welfare services.

The pitch to investors described a company on the verge of spectacular success: a Chinese firm making sophisticated, high-end chemicals used to fight fires, stain-proof fabrics and toughen touchscreens.

The Justice Department is asking a federal court in New York to block the planned merger of the nation's only two large movie house advertising companies.

The Avis Budget Group is acquiring a Budget Car Rental licensee for southern California and Las Vegas for approximately $210 million, plus the cost of its vehicle fleet.

Regulatory filings show the CEO of Newport cigarette maker Lorillard Inc. is set to receive more than $44 million following the planned $25 billion merger with Reynolds American Inc.

The drugmaker Shire wants AbbVie to stick with its roughly $55 billion acquisition bid, and it is reminding its U.S. counterpart of the hefty breakup fee it will receive if things don't work out.