So there are a lot of rumors in the mainstream media about who the bidders for Lehman Brothers Inc. could be now that
the books are reportedly being examined. But there are even more rumors buried in the message boards and elsewhere on the Internet.
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Press reports Friday morning cited analysts as saying that Bank of America Corp. is emerging as the most likely buyer for Lehman. CNBC says Lehman could wind up being sold piecemeal to three different financial institutions. While the Financial Times says that a joint bid lead by Bank of America, JC Flowers & Co. LLC and China Investment Corp., the Chinese sovereign wealth fund, is likely. Another prospective buyer cited by The Wall Street Journal is Barclays plc.
Reuters had reported Thursday that HSBC Holdings plc and Goldman, Sachs & Co. had been approached, but there also were reports that neither institution was interested in purchasing Lehman.
The rumors have of course spurred conversations on the Yahoo! and Google discussion boards. The opinions aren't far off from the press speculation, and most agree there will be no deal unless the Fed backstops Lehman's debt, which Treasury has reportedly said won't happen. Here is the latest talk as Lehman's stock continues to sink:
There will surely be more rabble babble as the day unfolds.
- Maria Woehr
