Italy’s Bank Deals Trip Over Pushback From Investors, Rome (1)

For almost a year now, Italy has been at the center of a renaissance in European bank takeovers, with at least half a dozen deals proposed. So far, most are stuck in political opposition and competing investor interests.

Mediobanca SpA on Sunday became the latest example when it postponed an investor meeting to decide on its bid for Banca Generali SpA. The decision came as Chief Executive Officer Alberto Nagel faced potential defeat from shareholders opposing the acquisition.

A few weeks earlier, Italy’s markets regulator suspended UniCredit SpA’s tender offer for Banco BPM SpA to allow talks with ...