NEW YORK (Reuters) – Clearwire Corp plans to notify Sprint Nextel Corp on Thursday that it will tap another $80 million of financing in April as part of its deal with the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier, two people close to the matter said.

In December, Sprint offered $2.97 per share to buy the rest of Clearwire that it does not own, and provided the wireless broadband operator up to $800 million in financing that it could draw on in installments of $80 million over 10 months.

NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) – Clearwire Corp (CLWR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) plans
to notify Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday that it will tap
another $80 million of financing in April as part of its deal
with the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier, two people close to the
matter said.

In December, Sprint offered $2.97 per share to buy the rest
of Clearwire that it does not own, and provided the wireless
broadband operator up to $800 million in financing that it could
draw on in installments of $80 million over 10 months.

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Dave Johnson finds himself once again pitted against a former employer.

In leading Blackstone Group’s 11th-hour bid for Dell Inc, the acquisitions expert and famously tough negotiator has seated himself across the table from ex-boss and company founder Michael Dell. Their relationship has now become a crucial element in the battle over the largest private equity-led buyout since the financial crisis.

NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) – Dell Inc is set to disclose next week that its largest independent investor, Southeastern Asset Management, originally expressed interest in joining the proposed leveraged buyout deal that it now opposes, according to two people familiar with the matter.

On January 29, a week before the technology company’s founder Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners announced their $24.4 billion buyout bid, Southeastern and its lawyers met with one of Dell’s independent directors, Alex Mandl, who was part of a special committee reviewing the company’s strategic options. Also at the meeting was the committee’s legal adviser, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

NEW YORK/BOSTON, March 21 (Reuters) – Dell Inc is
set to disclose next week that its largest independent investor,
Southeastern Asset Management, originally expressed interest in
joining the proposed leveraged buyout deal that it now opposes,
according to two people familiar with the matter.

On Jan. 29, a week before the technology company’s founder
Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners
announced their $24.4 billion buyout bid, Southeastern and its
lawyers met with one of Dell’s independent directors, Alex
Mandl, who was part of a special committee reviewing the
company’s strategic options. Also at the meeting was the
committee’s legal adviser, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Private equity firms are joining forces in the auction of BMC Software Inc, three people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, making it more likely that the business software maker will be taken private in a deal that would top $6 billion.

Shares of BMC jumped as high as 9 percent on the news and were trading up 3 percent in late morning trading, giving the company a market value of around $6.5 billion.

NEW YORK, March 21 (Reuters) – Private equity firms are
joining forces in the auction of BMC Software Inc, three
people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, making it more
likely that the business software maker will be taken private in
a deal that would top $6 billion.

Shares of BMC jumped as high as 9 percent on the news and
were trading up 3 percent in late morning trading, giving the
company a market value of around $6.5 billion.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc (BLK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will lay off nearly 300 of its workforce and shift some staff to other locations and areas of its business, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters.

In the memo, BlackRock’s President Rob Kapito told employees on Monday that as its business evolves, the mix of employees will also need to change with it.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – International Business Machines Corp and EMC Corp are among parties in talks to buy privately held database web hosting company SoftLayer Technologies Inc, in a deal that could fetch over $2 billion, three sources close to the matter said.

Dallas, Texas-based SoftLayer has hired Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse to run the sale process, the sources said, asking not to be named because the talks are private.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – International Business Machines Corp(IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and EMC Corp(EMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are among parties in talks to buy privately held database web hosting company SoftLayer Technologies Inc, in a deal that could fetch over $2 billion, three sources close to the matter said.

Dallas, Texas-based SoftLayer has hired Morgan Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) to run the sale process, the sources said, asking not to be named because the talks are private.