1.   Applied said it made the hostile offer because friendly merger discussions with Read-Rite, based in Milpitas, Calif., had broken down.

2.   As Brian Roberts recalls it, when talks between Kluge and Ameritech fell apart, Kluge called Ralph Roberts, with whom he had merger discussions early on.

3.   Bank executives confirm that Deutsche Bank held merger discussions two years ago with Lloyds TSB before Deutsche Bank concluded that that two did not make a good fit.

4.   Bank of Boston Corp. and CoreStates Financial Corp. ended preliminary merger discussions after Bank of Boston shareholders protested the transaction.

5.   Bay Bread currently is in merger discussions with a large French bakery, Rigo said.

6.   Bernabe has not been involved in merger discussions with executives at Olivetti, people close to the company said.

7.   A Nynex spokesman would neither confirm nor deny whether there are merger discussions or a scheduled Saturday meeting.

8.   A spokeswoman for First Bank declined to comment on any past merger discussions and said Grundhoffer had no formal talks with BankAmerica.

9.   Both companies said they would have no comment on reports of the merger discussions.

10.   But aside from the cost of the deal, Raytheon has other concerns that are affecting the merger discussions, according to analysts closely tracking the bidding process.