Business news with words billion+commission+merger. 8 news.

After an eight-month investigation, the Federal Trade Commission gave the green light to Google's $3.1 billion acquisition of Web ad firm DoubleClick. The proposed merger still needs the approval of European regulators, who have until April 2 to...

The Federal Trade Commission Thursday approved Google's pending $3.1 billion merger with DoubleClick, ruling that the deal isn't likely to harm competition in online advertising or otherwise have an adverse impact on consumers.

Despite opposition from some consumer groups and privacy advocates, as well as Google rival Microsoft, the Federal Trade Commission this morning approved Google's $3.1 billion merger with DoubleClick.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday morning that it has closed its investigation into Google's proposed buyout of DoubleClick. In a statement, the agency said it will not seek to block the $3.1 billion acquisition after concluding - in a 4-1 vote - that the deal "is unlikely to substantially lessen competition." Noting that the deal has raised concerns about consumer privacy, the FTC "observed that such issues are not unique to Google and DoubleClick, and extend to the entire online advertising marketplace," the statement read.

This week, two privacy groups asked Federal Trade Commission chair Deborah Platt Majoras to recuse herself from participating in the review of the $3.1 billion Google-DoubleClick merger because her husband is a partner at DoubleClick's law firm, Jones Day.

The European Commission said the $3.1 billion merger raised competition concerns and required a more thorough review of its impact on the Internet advertising business.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- TXU Corp. said Friday its shareholders have approved the company's $45-billion acquisition by Texas Energy Future Holdings Limited Partnership, a group of private-equity investors led by Kolhberg Kravis Roberts and Texas Pacific Group. More than 340 million shares, or about 74% of the 461 million total outstanding shares of TXU common stock, were voted in favor of the deal, the Dallas-based energy company said. Approval required a vote of two-thirds of the outstanding shares. Of the shares voted on the merger, more than 95% were cast in favor of it, TXU said. The merger, which requires approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and completion of other closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter, the company said.

State Public Service Commission members had at least six private meetings with officials and representatives of National Grid Plc and KeySpan Corp. in advance of the PSC's approval of the $11.8-billion merger last month, the commission has acknowledged.