A virtual dialogue of the deaf continued...

A virtual dialogue of the deaf continued between Farmers Group and the U.S. subsidiary of the British firm seeking to buy it, as the Los Angeles insurer held to its refusal to discuss a $60-a-share offer by Batus. For its part, Batus repeated in letters to Farmers’ Chief Executive Leo E. Denlea Jr. its desire for a meeting to discuss “all the terms of our proposal, including price.” Louisville-based Batus added that it will proceed in “the next few days” to solicit approval of shareholders of its parent, BAT Industries, to proceed and to make “the necessary filings with state insurance regulatory authorities shortly.”