Deals

ABRY Partners has agreed to acquire broadband services provider RCN Corp. (Nasdaq: RCNI), for $15 per share (a 22 percent premium to the company’s closing price the day before the deal was announced). The total deal is valued at around $1.26 billion, including $536 million in equity.

Active Interest Media Inc., a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners, has acquired all equine titles and online properties published by Source Interlink Media and by Horse Media Group. No financial terms were disclosed.

Alibris Inc., an Emeryville, Calif.-based online marketplace for new and used books, has acquired Monsoon, a Portland, Ore.-based marketplace selling solutions company, for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock. Oak Hill Capital acquired Alibris in 2006.

Angelo American, a global mining company, said it has received “strong interest” in its zinc assets. The leading suitors are believed to be strategics, although both Apollo Management and First Reserve are reported to have expressed interest. A sale could be valued at upwards of $800 million.

Apollo Management is leading a creditor group that is expected to reject Reliance Industries Ltd.’s bid for bankrupt chemicals maker LyondellBasell, according to the NY Post. The move would help Apollo acquire LyondellBasell, via Apollo portfolio company Hexion Specialty Chemicals.

Apollo Management, Bain Capital and TPG are among those who submitted second round bids for Dow Chemical’s Styron unit, which is expected to garner more than $1 billion.

Berlin Packaging, a portfolio company of Investcorp, has completed its acquisition of All-Pak, a Pittsburgh-based packaging supplier. No financial terms were disclosed. The combined company is expected to have annual revenue of nearly $500 million.

Blackhawk Specialty Tools LLC, a Houma, La.-based maker of automated top drive cement heads for the deepwater offshore oil and gas industry, has raised an undisclosed amount of equity funding from Rock Hill Capital Group.

Carlyle Group is among several firms to invest a total of $550 million of new equity into Butterfield, a Bermuda-based community bank and provider of specialized international financial services. Other participants include Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the Wellcome Trust, The Bermuda Government Pension Funds, Julian Robertson and Goshen Investments.

CCMP Capital has acquired a controlling interest in Francesca’s Collections Inc., in an all-equity deal worth between $200 million and $400 million. Francessa’s Collections is a Houston-based operator of 160 small-box women’s fashion retail stores across 33 states.

CCMP Capital confirmed reports that it has agreed to acquire data and marketing services company Infogroup Inc. (Nasdaq: IUSA). The deal is valued at approximately $635 million, including debt refinancing. Infogroup stockholders will receive $8 per share.

Coller Capital reportedly is the frontrunner to acquire HBOS Integrated Finance, which could garner around £500 million.

Commercial Credit Group, a Charlotte, N.C.-based provider of equipment financing for the construction, fleet transportation and waste industries, has raised $20 million in private equity funding from Falfurrias Capital Partners.

Dow Chemical Co. has agreed to sell its Styron plastics unit to Bain Capital for $1.63 billion. As part of the transaction, Dow has an option to retain up to a 15 percent stake in the company. No details on leveraged financing have been disclosed.

E.ON, a Germany-based utility, is mulling a sale of its U.S. unit. Such a deal could be worth upwards of €4.5 billion.

Eureka Growth Capital and Shore Points Capital have recapitalized Commercial Carpets of America Inc., the largest commercial floor coverings dealer in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. No financial terms were disclosed. SC&H Capital advised CCA on the deal.

Evercore Partners (NYSE: EVR) has acquired Neuberger Berman‘s private funds placement group, which is headquartered in London. No financial terms were disclosed, except that the transaction includes possible earn-out payments.

Extended Stay America Inc. could exit bankruptcy as early as June, according to reorganization plans that would include a new $450 million investment from Centerbridge Partners and Paulson & Company.

Genband, a Plano, Texas-based provider of IP infrastructure solutions, has agreed to buy most of the assets of Nortel Networks’s carrier VoIP and applications solutions businesses for approximately $282 million. Genband is being backed on the deal by existing shareholder One Equity Partners. Genband had originally been named stalking horse bidder for the assets, and no other suitor emerged.

Goldman Sachs has made an undisclosed minority investment in Tora Holdings, a provider of trading technology and financial services based in Asia. FT Partners served as exclusive strategic and financial adviser to the company.

Hammond, Kennedy, Whitney & Co. has sponsored a recapitalization of NaturMed Inc., a Camp Verde, Ariz.-based developer and distributor of nutritional and health supplements. No financial terms were disclosed.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. has received lender approval to extend the maturity date on a $5.5 billion real estate loan to 2015. The company was taken private in 2008 by Apollo Management and TPG.

HgCapital is in exclusive talks to buy U.K. commercial laundry equipment supplier John Laithwaite for around £150 million, according to Reuters.

H.I.G. Capital has acquired Albertville Quality Foods (Albertville, Ala.) and Southern Quality Meats (Pontotoc, Miss) both providers of further processing services for protein-based products. No financial terms were disclosed. Sellers included Tennessee Valley Ventures.

High Road Capital Partners has acquired Celco Controls, a Winnipeg-based maker of customized automation control systems for a variety of industries. No pricing terms were disclosed. Bank of Montreal provided senior debt financing, while BMO Capital provided subordinated notes.

HSBC plans to sell its U.K. rolling stock leasing company for up to £2 billion. Star Capital reportedly has interest in the business, while the infrastructure funds of Macquarie and JPMorgan have teamed up for a bid.

Hyland Software Inc., a Cleveland-based provider of enterprise content management software, has acquired eWebHealth, a Reading, Mass.-based provider of hosted medical records workflow solutions. No financial terms were disclosed. Hyland is a portfolio company of Thoma Bravo.

Intrawest Holdings, the Canadian ski resort operator owned by Fortress Investment Group, is in talks with lenders about refinancing options on its $1.7 billion debt-load. The Wall Street Journal reports that a recent proposal has Fortress injecting $150 million of additional equity and retaining its current ownership stake.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Water Asset Management have agreed to acquire SouthWest Water Co. (Nasdaq: SWWC). The take-private deal is valued at around $275 million, or $11 per share.

KCB Management has acquired Integrated Systems Improvement Services (ISIS), a Sierra Vista, Ariz.-based provider of specialty services to federal agencies, prime contractors and corporations. No financial terms were disclosed.

Lime Rock Resources has made two acquisitions: The Potato Hills natural gas field in southeast Oklahoma, and interests in wellbores in the Texas Gulf Coast region adjoining its existing New Years Ridge property. The combined deals were worth $113 million.

LyondellBassell, a bankrupt U.S. petrochemicals company, has rejected a $14.5 billion buyout offer from India’s Reliance Industries, setting up lead creditor Apollo Management to propose a reorganization plan.

Marsh & McLennan Cos. (NYSE: MMC) reportedly has put security consulting business Kroll on the block for $1.3 billion, and has received bids from private equity firms Apax Partners, Carlyle Group and General Atlantic.

Media Source, a Plain City, Ohio-based acquisition platform sponsored by The Riverside Company, has acquired three library publications from Reed Business Information-US. They are: Library Journal, School Library Journal and Library Hotline Join Media Source. No financial terms were disclosed.

Monarch Natural Gas, a portfolio company of Metalmark Capital Partners, has completed previously announced deal for most of the Riverbend midstream assets of Gasco Energy (NYSE Amex: GSX). The transaction was valued at $23 million in cash, and included related salt water evaporative facilities.

Morgan Stanley has found buyers for its 34.3 percent stake in Chinese investment bank CICC, but declined to name them. Reuters previously reported that KKR and TPG were in talks for the position, which is expected to garner more than $1 billion. Morgan Stanley originally paid just $37 million.

Navigation Capital Partners has acquired Specialized Technical Services Inc., a Richmond, Ky.-based provider of data management solutions to the utilities sector. The firm appointed Robert E. Shively, former president of SM&P Utility Resources, as CEO of STS.

Northern Timber Nova Scotia, a portfolio company of Atlas Holdings and Blue Wolf Capital Management, have agreed to acquire 475,000 acres of Nova Scotia forest land from Neenah Paper Inc. (NYSE: NP). The deal is valued at $82 million.

NorthgateArinso, a KKR portfolio company that provides HR software and services, has agreed to acquire the HR management unit of Convergys (NYSE: CVG). The deal is valued at $100 million in cash, including an $85 million up-front payment.

Pierpont Securities LLC has launched as a government securities broker-dealer with $200 million in capital commitments from General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital. Company management has committed an additional $20 million.

ProSiebenSat1, a Germany-based commercial broadcaster owned by KKR and Permira, said it will keep its Q4 dividend flat. It also refrained from providing a 2010 outlook.

RoadSafe Traffic Systems Inc., a Bensalem, Penn.-based provider of traffic safety services, has acquired Trutwin Industries Inc., a Fort Myers, Fla.-based provider of roadway pavement marking and removal services. No financial terms were disclosed. RoadSafe is a portfolio company of Aperion Management and Falcon Investment Advisors.

Roark Capital Group is in talks to acquire Peachtree Business Products, an Atlanta-based provider of direct marketing supplies, according to a regulatory filing. No pricing terms were disclosed.

Royal Bank of Scotland has set an April 7 deadline for bids on its WorldPay payment processing unit and more than 300 bank branches. Possible WorldPay suitors include Advent International, Apax Partners and BC Partners.

Shearer’s Foods Inc., a maker and distributor of branded and private-label snack foods, has agreed to acquire rival Snack Alliance. No financial terms were disclosed. Shearer’s Foods is a portfolio company of Mistral Equity Partners.

Siemens is considering alternatives to the planned sale of its hearing aids business after initial bids came in below the €2 billion asking price.

Sun Capital Partners has acquired Arch Aluminum & Glass Co., a bankrupt architectural glass and aluminum fabricator and distributor based in Tamarac, Florida. No financial terms were disclosed.

Superior Capital Partners has acquired the assets of Q’SO Inc., a Fort Worth, Texas-based maker of adhesive and sealant products that are sold to the construction and infrastructure markets. No financial terms were disclosed. The new company will be known as Edge Adhesives.

TPG has become the frontrunner to acquire Dow Chemical’s Styron plastics unit, according to The Wall Street Journal. The deal is expected to be valued at between $1 billion and $2 billion.

Trustwave Corp., an Annapolis, Md.–based provider of on-demand data security and payment card industry compliance management solutions, has acquired Intellitactics, a Reston, Va.-based provider of security information and event management technology. No financial terms were disclosed. Trustwave raised $10 million from FTV Capital in 2004, while Intellitactics raised around $21 million from JMI Equity, Lazard Technology Partners, RBC Dominion and Enterasys Networks.

USI Holdings Corp., a Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.-based distributor of insurance and financial services to businesses, has acquired National City Insurance Group‘s retail employee benefit insurance brokerage offices in Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri from PNC Financial Services Group. No financial terms were disclosed. USI is owned by Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.

Warburg Pincus plans to buy up to $230 million of common stock in Citigroup life insurance unit Primerica Inc. in connection with a planned IPO for Primerica.

WestLB has received several non-binding offers for its real estate finance unit, Westdeutsche Immobilienbank, but all reportedly are below book value of €850 million.