VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Essendant signed a deal to purchase office supply contract business from Staples and Office Depot. The acquisition assets worth over $550 million will enable Essendant to compete nationally.

Since 2009, the University of Phoenix has received $488 million from its online programs that are popular to military veterans with GI Bill benefits. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating the University for unfair and deceptive practices involving veteran students.

Some 20 state attorneys general have joined the federal antitrust investigation of competing bids by Dollar General Corp (DG.N) and Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) to buy Family Dollar Stores Inc (FDO.N), a development that potentially complicates the companies' efforts to win U.S. approval for a deal.

The proposed merger of Sysco Corp (SYY.N) and US Foods Inc [USFOO.UL] hinges on the top two U.S. food companies helping to turn a far smaller rival into a national player to ease antitrust concerns, but the gap may be too big, analysts said.

Family Dollar Inc (FDO.N) will delay a shareholder vote on the potential acquisition by Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O), CNBC said, citing sources. Family Dollar will start the shareholder meeting and then adjourn it, CNBC said.

A top Herbalife salesman said that most people who sell the company's weight loss and nutrition products are doomed to fail, adding fresh grist to accusations by a hedge fund manager that the company is a fraud.

Sysco Corp (SYY.N), the biggest U.S. food distributor, is in advanced talks to sell some assets to a food company owned by Blackstone Group (BX.N) in order to win regulatory approval for its acquisition of US Foods Inc [USFOO.UL], the New York Post reported, citing sources.

The U.S. government sued AT&T Inc (T.N) on Tuesday, alleging the No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier sold consumers unlimited data plans but would reduce their Internet speeds once they exceeded a certain amount of data.

Herbalife Ltd, the marketer of weight-management products, energy drinks and nutrition supplements that has come under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission as well as other agencies, has hired a former FTC official as its chief compliance officer.

Pennsylvania, US-based age verification startup AgeCheq picked up $1 million in a Series A funding round to ramp up its effort in helping app and game developers comply with federal requirements and standards.

It may still be the first two months of the 2014 but redesigning Apple's iPad is probably the regulatory overreach of the year committed by the Federal Trade Commission, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Federal Trade Commission scored a victory today after a federal judge ruled that the merger of a hospital chain and a doctor group must be undone because it violated antitrust laws, Bloomberg reported.

California, US-based tech giant Apple Inc signed an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to pay out at least $32.5 million as refund for the parents of kids who racked up big in-app charges without explicit consent.

A Bloomberg recounted how the Federal Trade Commission's decision to approve the USD2.3 billion buyout deal by Hertz Global Holdings Inc of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc was a mistake.

Connecticut-based private equity firm Littlejohn & Co. was said to be buying e-commerce company Newgistics Inc. The deal will be financed by Littlejohn's Fund IV, which has a capital commitment of USD1.3 billion.