Blackstone Group LP and other investors are in talks to acquire financial-data-processing company Fidelity National Information Services Inc., according to people familiar with the situation.
With a market capitalization approaching $10 billion, a deal for Fidelity National would be the largest leveraged buyout since the credit crisis struck nearly three years ago. The company also carries about $3 billion in debt.
There are a number of hurdles to completing a deal, and it could fall apart, the people said. A Fidelity National spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Though Jacksonville, Fla.-based Fidelity National isn't well known, it's one of the largest U.S. companies providing technology services to the banking industry. It helps banks process credit-card transactions, service auto loans, and handles back-office functions for money managers. In Thursday morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Fidelity National shares traded down 16 cents to $25.84, giving the company a market value of $9.7 billion.
