3 big banks dirsupt ABN Amro-Barclays

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, April 13 (UPI) -- Three big European banks have disrupted $80 billion exclusive merger talks between Dutch bank ABN Amro Holding NV and Britain's Barclays PLC, ABN said Friday.

Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, Spain's Banco Santander Central Hispano SA and Dutch-Belgian Fortis NV sent a letter to ABN inviting the bank "to start exploratory talks," ABN said in a statement.

The bank's supervisory board, similar to a board of directors, and its managing board, which handles day-to-day operations, "will consider the letter carefully in line with their responsibilities," ABN's three-line statement said.

The three banks said in a statement they asked to see "the same due-diligence information given to Barclays." The statement also said their approach would not necessarily lead to a transaction.

But it could lead to a $90 billion deal under which ABN would be chopped into pieces, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Under their proposal, RBS would take over ABN's U.S. retail LsSalle Bank and ABN's wholesale bank in London.

ABN's assets in Brazil, and probably Italy, would go to Santander. Its Dutch retail operations would go to Fortis.