It is not yet clear whether or how the project will be affected by the prospective merger of the Commodity Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.

Bid Under Market Price Without a prospective merger, such an announcement could frighten potential customers and depositors and hasten the bank's failure.

Both men were immediately taken by the benefits in a prospective merger.

The announcement of the prospective merger of the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq stock market makes it sound so alluring.

Last year, the company's prospective merger with American Home Products unraveled in acrimony over leadership and strategy questions.

One is technical: "Organize these three companies by their betas," or "Walk me through how you would value this company in a prospective strategic merger."

The prospective merger is another sign of consolidation in the telecommunications industry, as the lines between telephone, cable TV and broadband companies continue to be blurred.

Stocks of both the prospective merger partners are widely held in Canada and the United States, and they have both been seen as takeover targets.

The prospective merger was handled with characteristic irreverence on CBS's "Late Night with David Letterman."

The SBC talks broke off without an agreement three weeks ago, after the prospective merger provoked withering criticism from regulators.