Aviva’s £3.7 Billion Direct Line Deal Faces UK Merger Review (1)

Aviva Plc faces a review by the UK’s merger watchdog of its plan to buy Direct Line Insurance Group Plc for roughly £3.7 billion ($4.9 billion) in a deal that would create the UK’s largest motor insurer.

The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it’ll asses whether the deal could result in “substantial lessening of competition” in the relevant UK markets. The initial review of the deal is unlikely to result in a deeper antitrust probe, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts.

Aviva doesn’t disclose its auto profits but these aren’t large and the CMA is unlikely to find ...