Dime-Hudson Deal Looks Increasingly Like A Dead Duck

Dime Bancorp has just eight more days to get its shareholders to support a merger with Mahwah, N.J.-based Hudson United Bancorp, but already some big investors are saying the deal is probably off.

That would leave Dime at the mercy of a $1.8 billion unsolicited takeover bid by rival North Fork Bancorp. On Wednesday, after North Fork started soliciting Dime shareholders directly for their proxies, Dime issued a statement saying it was "deeply disappointed" and urging shareholders to reject North Fork's "misguided" takeover attempt.