mergers & acquisitions

Defending itself in the courts against the United States Department of Justice’s objections to its proposed merger with rival insurance and reinsurance broker Willis Towers Watson (WTW), Aon has said that it would be “unacceptable” for its transaction to fail just because of a late trial date proposed by the DoJ.

The value of divestments needed to get insurance and reinsurance broker Aon’s acquisition of rival Willis Towers Watson (WTW) over the line continues to increase, with South Africa the latest country who’s competition authority has requested a remedy specific to its marketplace.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore has said this morning that it intends to deepen its review of the merger of insurance and reinsurance broking and consultancy giants Aon and Willis Towers Watson (WTW).

According to a report, insurance and reinsurance giant Aon and its acquisition target Willis Towers Watson (WTW) were both “surprised” by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) filing a lawsuit to try and block their merger.

After the US Department of Justice (DOJ) decided to sue in an attempt to block Aon’s acquisition of broking rival Willis Towers Watson (WTW), analysts at KBW said that rather than abandoning the merger, Aon is more likely to offer additional divestitures.

Reports that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) might not challenge Aon’s acquisition of rival Willis Towers Watson (WTW) have turned out to be completely false, as the DOJ has now sued to block the merger, saying it would create a “broking behemoth” and stifle competition.

According to a report from Reuters, the European Commission (EC) may approve Aon’s $30 billion acquisition of and merger with Willis Towers Watson (WTW) before the end of this month, which would be in advance of the EC’s own deadline.

Aon has announced the sale of $1.4 billion of US retirement related operations, which it says is a divestment intended to address certain questions raised by the U.S. Department of Justice over its merger combination with Willis Towers Watson (WTW).

It’s been reported that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division may not challenge Aon’s acquisition of rival Willis Towers Watson (WTW), which, after the EC related divestment package, means additional disposals to remedy any DOJ concerns is perhaps now the most likely outcome.

It seems that the carrier side of the industry is largely very supportive of the sale of Willis Re as part of the preparations for Aon’s acquisition of rival Willis Towers Watson (WTW), as it maintains choice in the reinsurance broking marketplace.