Fairfax consortium bids $4.7 billion to take BlackBerry private

By Alastair Sharp and Andrea Hopkins TORONTO (Reuters) - Smartphone maker BlackBerry has agreed to go private in a $4.7 billion deal led by its biggest shareholder, allowing the on-the-go email pioneer to regroup away from public scrutiny after years of falling fortunes and slumping market share. The $9 a share tentative offer, from a consortium led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd, will set a floor for any counteroffers that might emerge for Blackberry, which has been on the block since August. ...

via Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/fairfax-consortium-bids-4-7-billion-blackberry-private-095034900--sector.html