Fiserv Shares Climb After WSJ Reports That Several Big Banks Are Eyeing a Deal

By Connor Hart

Shares of Fiserv climbed after The Wall Street Journal reported that several big banks have recently held preliminary and tentative discussions about a deal to acquire a network owned by the financial-technology company.

The stock rose 4.8%, to $54.24, in premarket trading Tuesday. Through Monday's close, shares have lost over a fifth of their value year to date.

Big banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PNC Financial Services Group have looked into acquiring the network owned by Fiserv, the Journal said late Monday. Big banks are interested because owning a network can mean exemption from a federal law that caps debit-card fees.

Still, there is no certainty a deal will happen. And several of the banks that looked at the Fiserv network have already decided it would be unlikely for them to move forward, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com