AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — ABN Amro Holding NV, the Netherlands' largest bank, and rival Barclays PLC of Britain are in early-stage talks about a "potential combination," the banks said Monday.

The disclosures came amid reports that Barclays was eyeing a possible purchase of its smaller rival. At Monday's closing stock prices, ABN Amro was worth about $76 billion while Barclays was valued at about $86 billion.

If a deal were struck, it would be one of the biggest cross-border combinations in European banking history.

In a separate statement, Barclays confirmed it was considering "a potential combination of the two organizations which will create value for both sets of shareholders."

Barclays is Britain's third-largest banking group by market capitalization and Europe's largest issuer of credit cards.

ABN shares rose 9.7 percent to close at 29.94 euros ($39.88), continuing a climb that began in December and accelerated in February, when hedge fund TCI said the shares were undervalued and management should split or sell the company. TCI holds about 1 percent of ABN shares.

SERVICEMASTER CO. AGREES TO BUYOUT

CHICAGO — Lawn care and pest control provider ServiceMaster Co. agreed Monday to be bought by an investment group in a cash deal valued at $4.5 billion, as the company tries to recover from years of declining financial results.

Bowing to shareholder pressure, the owner of TruGreen Lawn Care, Terminix pest control and Merry Maids cleaning service announced a deal with an investment group led by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc.

The announcement came nearly five months after the Downers Grove, Ill.-based company said it was exploring strategic alternatives.

The move followed pressure from shareholders Ariel Capital Management LLC and Newcastle Capital Management LP to consider a sale or buyout.

Under terms of the agreement, ServiceMaster stockholders will receive $15.625 in cash for each outstanding share, which is a 16 percent premium over ServiceMaster's closing price Friday of $13.47 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Clayton also will assume about $1.02 billion in debt.

DROP-OFF SEEN IN INSURANCE COVERAGE

NEW ORLEANS — Disgusted with his insurance company after Hurricane Katrina, the Rev. Simmie Harvey let his homeowner policy lapse and left his house in the hands of a higher power.

Somebody up there must like the 88-year-old Baptist minister: His newly uninsured house escaped serious damage last month when a tornado ripped through the city's Uptown neighborhood and toppled a tree that narrowly missed his home.

Facing soaring premiums or feeling shortchanged by their insurers, a growing number of homeowners and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi are "going bare," or dropping their coverage altogether, insurance agents and consumer advocates say. Many more are drastically reducing their coverage.

With the new hurricane season beginning June 1, it is a risky strategy. These people could lose everything in a storm or some kind of tragic accident around the house.

BID GOES HIGHER FOR TRIAD HOSPITALS

DALLAS — Community Health Systems Inc. said Monday it has agreed to buy Triad Hospitals Inc. for about $5.1 billion, topping a previous bid by private-equity buyers.

CHS said the deal would make it the nation's largest publicly traded hospital company. It would own or operate about 130 hospitals in 28 states and control more than 18,700 beds.

Franklin, Tenn.-based CHS agreed to pay $54 for each Triad share, a 7.5 percent premium over an earlier deal that Triad had accepted from the private buyout group, CHS and Triad said.

CHS would also assume $1.7 billion in Triad debt in the deal.

Triad has 53 hospitals and another under construction. They are mostly in smaller cities. The company also provides hospital management and consulting services.

AIRBUS A380 MAKES MAIDEN VOYAGE TO U.S.

NEW YORK — The latest jetliner to claim the title of world's biggest passenger aircraft completed its maiden voyage to the United States on Monday, flying on football field-length wings and a prayer that the American airline industry will want to buy the double-decker jumbo jet.

The four-engine Airbus A380 touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 12:10 p.m. Eastern Time, to the cheers of onlookers gathered to watch the arrival. As the plane taxied, a pilot waved an American flag. Minutes later, a separate A380 arrived in Los Angeles, with just a crew and no passengers.

The first U.S. flights are a chance for the European plane builder Airbus and German airline Lufthansa AG to show off the jewel of Airbus' offerings to potential American buyers and to the airports they hope to turn into flight bases for the jet. The 239-foot-long A380 can seat as many as 550 passengers, hold 81,890 gallons of fuel, cruise at 560 mph and fly some 8,000 nautical miles.

Lufthansa Flight 8940 is meant to be a statement by Airbus that it can accommodate vast numbers of travelers comfortably and efficiently.

MERGER DEAL IN OIL INDUSTRY

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras and two partners announced a deal Monday to buy Ipiranga, the No. 2 fuel distributor and refiner in Latin America's largest nation, for nearly $4 billion (euro3 billion) in cash and stock.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA and chemical company Braskem SA will pay about $2.4 billion (euro1.8 billion) in cash, and fuel distributor and refiner Grupo Ultra will issue new shares for the rest, said Percio de Souza, an adviser to the three purchasers.

Minority shareholders of Grupo Ipiranga will have the option of taking the shares or cash. When the complex transaction is completed, the value of the deal will be "close to $4 billion," the buyers said. De Souza did not disclose the amount of debt that Ipiranga holds.