(Adds General Electric (NYSE:GE), Phoenix Group, News Corp, Amgen, Worldpay, Potash Corp; Updates Anheuser-Busch)
Sept 16 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Wednesday:
** Anheuser-Busch InBev ABI.BR has approached rival SABMiller SAB.L about a takeover that would form a brewing colossus producing a third of the world's beer. ID:nL5N11M1MM
** Dentsply International Inc XRAY.O said it would merge with peer Sirona Dental Systems Inc SIRO.O in a $5.56 billion all-stock deal, creating the world's largest dental equipment maker. ID:nL4N11L58C
** General Electric Co GE.N said on Wednesday it had sold a $3.7 billion portfolio of loans from its British home lending business to private equity-backed Kensington Mortgage Co Ltd as it continues to shrink its financing arm, GE Capital. ID:nL4N11M48Y
** Phoenix Group Holdings PHNX.L , Britain's largest consolidator of closed life funds, is in talks to buy smaller rival Guardian Financial Services in a deal that could cost over 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion), Sky News said. ID:nL4N11M4SA
** Potash Corp of Saskatchewan POT.TO POT.N is not actively discussing its takeover proposal with Germany's K+S SDFGn.DE , but remains interested in a combination of fertilizer producers that would aid North American potash sales and offer new access to Europe, Chief Executive Jochen Tilk said on Wednesday. ID:nL1N11M19J
** Cable network operator AMC Networks Inc AMCX.O was in preliminary talks to buy billionaire John Malone's premium TV cable network Starz STRZA.O , Bloomberg reported. ID:nL4N11L5F8
** Private equity firm Berkshire Partners LLC is nearing a deal to acquire Affordable Care Inc, the largest U.S. denture services provider, from buyout firm American Capital ACAS.O for more than $800 million, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter. ID:nL1N11L2LF
** Telecom Italia TLIT.MI has not discussed with Vivendi VIV.PA , its biggest shareholder, the possibility that the French group may increase its stake, Telecom Italia Chairman Giuseppe Recchi said on Wednesday. ID:nI6N11900K
** News Corp NWSA.O said it would buy Unruly Holdings Ltd, a UK-based video advertisement technology company, giving it the technology that analyzes historical sharing behavior to predict the potential for video ads to go viral. ID:nL4N11M42D
** Taiwan's Fubon Financial Holding Co Ltd 2881.TW is weighing a bid for Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd's ANZ.AX 39 percent stake worth $612 million in PT Bank Pan Indonesia Tbk (Panin) PNBN.JK , two people familiar with the matter said. ID:nL4N11M1R6
** TPG Specialty Lending Inc TSLX.N has offered to buy TICC Capital Corp TICC.O in an all-stock deal valued at $525 million. ID:nL4N11M3OV
** Amgen Inc AMGN.O said it will buy biotechnology company Dezima Pharma B.V., adding another cholesterol drug to its expanding portfolio of treatments for cardiovascular diseases. ID:nL4N11M44L
** The U.S. Air Force said it would carefully review any proposed sale of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a 50-50 rocket launch venture of Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT) LMT.N and Boeing (NYSE:BA) Co BA.N to Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc AJRD.N . ID:nL1N11L2MD
** Worldpay's private equity owners, Advent International and Bain Capital, will make up their minds on Friday on whether to sell or list the British payments processing company, in the light of the U.S. Federal Reserve's crucial monetary meeting on Thursday, two sources close to the matter said. ID:nL5N11M411
** Italy's Banco Popolare BAPO.MI is in talks with a series of other cooperative banks for a possible two-way tie-up, including UBI Banca UBI.MI and Banca Popolare di Milano PMII.MI , the Chief Executive said. ID:nI6N11900I
** British outsourcing firm Serco SRP.L has agreed to sell its Business Process Outsourcing operation to private equity firm Blackstone (NYSE:BX) for 250 million pounds ($385.08 million), finally offloading an asset it had struggled to sell. ID:nL5N11M0KB
** Bankrupt Patriot Coal Corp PATAQ.PK is in "advanced stage" talks with a new potential bidder for the bulk of its assets, which could set up a contested auction on Monday, a company lawyer said on Wednesday. ID:nL1N11K27E
** Polish billionaire Leszek Czarnecki is planning to sell debt collecting company GetBack to help raise cash to buy Bank BPH BPHP.WA from General Electric (GE) GE.N , the Puls Biznesu daily said. ID:nL5N11M0Q0