Brussels: Irish bottle and packaging maker Ardagh Glass Group secured EU regulatory approval yesterday for its €1.7 billion takeover of Dutch metal packaging company Impress Co-operative.

IRISH Life & Permanent, the country’s biggest life assurer and mortgage lender, is in talks to hire four banks, including Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, to underwrite a rights offering, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

JC FLOWERS & Co and three other bidders for Ireland’s EBS Building Society may buy and merge several lenders to create a new competitor to the country’s biggest banks, two people familiar with the situation said.

EBS Building Society, the country’s biggest customer-owned lender, set an August 9 deadline for a second round of takeover bids, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

PHONES4U owner Caudwell Group will be sold to two private equity firms in a deal worth £1.46 billion (€2.16bn), it was confirmed yesterday.