Two Dutch newspapers report that the bidder that failing DSB bank is negotiating with is investment Lone Star Investments from Texas.

Both NRC Handelsblad and the Financiele Dagblad say the Dallas-based company is the one whose identity DSB founder and director Dirk Scheringa refused to reveal.  Last year, Lone Star acquired Germany's failing industrial bank IKB. The US company describes itself as specialised in buying bad loans from struggling banks. It claims to have investments worth 24 billion dollars.
 

On Friday, a court in Amsterdam gave DSB until Monday morning 9.00am to find a takeover bidder. If a takeover fails to materialise before then, bankruptcy is widely seen as inevitable.

Photo: DSB director Dirk Scheringa and his wife (ANP)