Banks foresee record M&A lending

摘要

Bank lending for US mergers and acquisitions of high-grade companies will scale new heights this year, as the voracious appetite for mega-deals persists even while credit markets turn choppy and recession talk surfaces, bankers and strategists said. M&A lending to US blue chip companies could top US$250bn by year end, according to Thomson Reuters LPC's quarterly lending survey, in what would be a record, far surpassing the prior high of around US$203bn last year. This year has already seen three of the 10 largest US investment grade bridge loans of all time - extended to walt disney for Fox, US cable company Comcast's ongoing bid for European broadcaster Sky and health insurer cigna for pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts.