Wave of Corporate Unions Becomes a Flood

Major buyouts in the works by America Online Inc. and Deutsche Bank were just part of a deluge of major corporate mergers that made for a blockbuster “Merger Monday.” As the No. 1 online service confirmed that it’s in advanced talks to pen a deal to buy Netscape Communications Corp. for about $4 billion, and with Germany’s largest bank on the verge of sealing a $9-billion pact to acquire Bankers Trust Corp., news of several other deals encompassing a wide array of industries hit Wall Street. Some of the deals are nearing completion while the terms of others have already been finalized. A look at other major deals: