Antitrust Cops More ‘Skeptical’ About Fixing Mega Deals

By Alexei Alexis, Bloomberg BNA

Recent federal lawsuits against mergers involving large competitors reflect the government’s growing skepticism about the possibility of fixing such deals through traditional remedies, the Justice Department’s top antitrust official said today.

DOJ’s Antitrust Division is currently in the process of challenging proposed acquisitions that would consolidate the nation’s five biggest health insurers into three. Earlier this year, Halliburton Co. abandoned a proposed tie-up with rival oil-services firm Baker Hughes Inc. after a DOJ challenge, and the Federal Trade Commission was successful in a lawsuit to stop Staples Inc. from acquiring Office Depot Inc.

“Antitrust enforcers ...