Chiba Bank to Acquire 20 Pct Stake in Chiba Kogyo Bank

Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)--Chiba Bank is considering acquiring a stake of about 20 pct in Chiba Kogyo Bank for about 20 billion yen, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The two regional banks in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, are considering holding talks on a future merger, the people said.

They aim to strengthen their financial base as competition among banks in Japan intensifies since the Bank of Japan ended its negative interest rate policy last year.

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