SanPaolo IMI's Bid to Take Over Banka Koper Expires on Monday

Ljubljana, 25 February - A bid by the Turin-based banking group SanPaolo IMI to take over Banka Koper is to expire at midnight, after the initial offered price has been raised four times. Although the Italian bank announced at the end of January to extend the bid for the acquisition of Slovenia's fifth largest bank until the Slovene central bank decides on the go-ahead, the bid was not extended any further.