11.   The merger comes a year and a half after Lycos considered being acquired by USA Networks, the cable television firm led by Barry Diller.

12.   The merger comes amid a wave of consolidation in the European banking industry ahead of introduction of the European single currency.

13.   The merger comes amid moves towards consolidation in the European and U.S. banking industries.

14.   The merger comes as banks around the world combine to cut costs and offer a wider array of products to new customers.

15.   The merger comes as Swiss banks cut costs at home and expand abroad in a bid to raise returns for shareholders.

16.   The merger comes as the global banking industries consolidate.

17.   The merger comes just as book publishing is shivering from flat sales, large returns from booksellers and the rocketing advances, among other perceived horrors.

18.   The merger comes three months after the agencies consolidated their media services into a single unit.

19.   The mergers come as drug companies try to build broader product lines and cut costs to offset price pressure from large buyers.

20.   The MFS-UUnet merger comes on the heels of two other multibillion-dollar mergers in communications and computer services since last Monday.