Interview Puts BB&T (BBT) in Play

Reports from bizjournals.com, BB&T (NYSE: BBT) CEO said in a recent Bloomberg interview that the company would consider a merger of equals. The CEO said the company tried to initiate a merger with Regions Financial (NYSE: RF) but they couldn't make the price work, leaving Regions to buy AmSouth for $10.2 billion in May.

Punk Ziegel analyst Richard X. Bove said the interview makes the acquisition of BB&T "far more likely."