Anheuser-Busch InBev Deal Is Still On

Although Anheuser-Busch’s stock has trading below InBev’s $70 asking price this week (closing yesterday at $65.71), the Belgian brewery declared today that it is going through with the $52 billion deal. Analysts have been abuzz the past few days speculating that the financial crisis could put InBev’s financing in jeopardy. Edward Jones’ Jack Russo said earlier this week, “While we still see it as probable that the deal closes as planned at $70 in an all-cash offer, fragile credit markets increase the risk that financing falls through, gets delayed, or gets restructured.”

The majority of banks in InBev’s consortium of 19 lenders are non-American, and include Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Fortis, ING Bank, Mizuho Corporate Bank, and Royal Bank of Scotland.

A-B’s local Fox-TV affiliate, St. Louis’ Fox 2 reported:

[Former A-B executive and current Washington University business professor Bill] Finnie thinks the only development that could impact the sale would be what he calls another major financial earthquake that would prevent several of InBev’s banks from meeting their loan commitments.  “Then trying to find replacements for that share of the 45 billion could be a challenge,” he said.

Barring that, the reports of the deal’s death appear to be greatly exaggerated.