N&P in 11th hour merger talks with Yorkshire BS

The UK's second-biggest mutual, which has snapped up several of its rivals during the turmoil of the last three years, has been granted a period of exclusivity by the board of N&P and its advisers within the last few days, Sky News reports. The exclusive talks are designed to allow the Yorkshire to conduct more detailed due diligence on N&P's books. An agreed deal is likely to be some weeks off. If a merger can be completed, it would mean the Yorkshire will have seen off competition from rival bidders including Virgin Money, the financial services arm of Sir Richard Branson's empire, ...