BPER CEO says Italy's M&A wave prompted defensive bid for Pop Sondrio

MILAN (Reuters) -BPER Banca's CEO on Friday said its 4.3 billion euro ($4.5 billion) all-share takeover bid for smaller peer Banca Popolare di Sondrio was a defensive move prompted by a raft of merger proposals across Italy's banking industry. Mid-sized Italian banks like BPER have long been seen as candidates for consolidation. Previously, BPER had explored a tie-up with Banco BPM but they never reached an accord.