Finance
Direct Line Shares Surge After Rebuffing £3.3 Billion Aviva Bid
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Direct Line Insurance Group Plc shares surged as much as 39% after the insurer rejected a £3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) takeover bid from Aviva Plc, the second suitor it’s rebuffed this year.
London-listed Aviva submitted a non-binding proposal valuing Direct Line at about 250 pence per share, it said in a statement Wednesday that confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. The price represents a 58% premium to Direct Line’s Wednesday close.