According to news reports, Home Depot negotiations with a trio of private equity firms that had agreed to buy HD Supply are still in the works. The parties could lower the price by at least $1 billion, or the sale could fall through, Bloomberg reports.
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Apparently, the banks involved -Merrill Lynch & Co, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. -are reluctant to lend the money to enable the buy due to a tightening credit market.
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The deal for the $12 billion unit was scheduled to close Thursday, but no parties have announced a resolution.

More on M & A trends in distribution&nbsp ; can be found in the MDM Special Report: Distribution M & A 2007 Update. Or&nbsp ; purchase the CD from MDM’s latest M & A audio conference – Distribution M & A 2007 Update: More Buyers, New Drivers in U.S & Overseas