Midweek M&A Madness

Here are some potential target ideas, rumored or official, to jumpstart your deal pipeline.

Our sources are various news reports and the Buyouts “Seeking Buyers” list.

For prior lists, see below, and send any additions my way.

The owners of the New York Mets will be forced to sell the pro baseball team due to huge losses suffered in the Bernard Madoff swindle, the author of a book about the disgraced money manager said on Friday. (Read more)

Management Energy, Inc. an OTC-traded exploration stage coal company based in California, announced the appointment of Brian McNiell to serve as a member of the Board of Advisors. Mr. McNiell will begin a study of Management Energy’s reserve base to pursue strategic alternatives.

Amer Sports, a Helsinki, Finland sporting goods company, is considering divesting Mavic, a bicycle brand.

USA Bank, a New York-based OTC-traded bank, has retained Laidlaw & Company to assist in the consideration of various strategic alternatives. Those options include the issuance of equity to bolster its capital structure, or a sale or merger.

London-based Crew Gold Corporation intends to continue to explore structural and strategic alternatives to rescue value from the Company’s LEFA project for all stakeholders.

Interlink Electronics, based in California, continues to explore strategic alternatives, the company said.

Mahalo Energy Ltd. has been exploring strategic alternatives since the fall of 2008. The company said no satisfactory offers or proposals were received and concluded that no transaction was likely to take place in the immediate future.

Bankrupt satellite broadcasting company WorldSpace Inc., is reviewing strategic alternatives in lieu of its terminated deal to purchase Silver Spring satellite.

NASDAQ-traded Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. will liquidate itself after failing to find a satisfactory buyer.

Highbury Financial, an investment management holding company, is exploring strategic alternatives.

EaglePicher Corp. hired Lazard Middle Market LLC to explore strategic alternatives, including a sale for its EaglePicher Technologies LLC subsidiary, according to the Deal Pipeline. That subsidiary makes lithium batteries and battery chargers.

Crystal River Capital, Inc., a specialty finance REIT, said it has retained a financial advisor and legal counsel to assist in a review of the company’s strategic alternatives.

General Electric Co has put its security business up for sale in an auction that could fetch about $2 billion, according to Reuters. The company hired JPMorgan Chase & Co as its financial adviser to sell the unit.

MDS Inc., a Canadian life sciences company, plans to sell off most of its major divisions. That includes a 50% share of an Applied Biosystems/MDS Sciex joint venture, also known as AB Sciex. The company is also seeking a buyer for its MDS Pharma segment.

Woburn Energy, am AIM-listed oil and gas explorer, is seeking a buyer or farm-in partner for its 15% interest in Block 49/8c, in the southern North Sea which, contains the undeveloped Monterey gas field.

Despite reports from the New York Post that KKR and other buyout firms were in talks with TCW Group Inc., Chief Investment Officer Jeffrey Gundlach told Reuters that no private equity firm has spoken with him about acquiring the money management giant from its parent, France’s Societe Generale.

Barneys New York Inc is eyeing a debt restructuring or bankruptcy filing under which its owner, Dubai’s Istithmar World Capital, would lose control of the company, according to Bloomberg.

Joint Corp., a Japanese apartment developer, received bids from Fortress Investment Group, Goldman Sachs and Pacific Alliance Group.

Hellas Telecommunications II, parent of Greece’s Wind Hellas, said it had begun talks to seek support from shareholder Weather Investments as it expects to run short of cash and is considering restructuring alternatives. (Read more)