Wachovia prepares for split

Wachovia Corp is bracing itself for a split that may give most of the bank to Wells Fargo & Co, with Citigroup Inc taking the rest, as regulators prod the suitors to end their takeover fight, two people briefed on the talks said.

Wells Fargo may buy Wachovia of Charlotte, North Carolina, and then sell parts to New York-based Citigroup, said one of the people, who declined to be identified because negotiations are private. Citigroup would get branches in the Northeast and about a quarter of Wachovia's deposits, and Wells Fargo would take the branches in the South and Mid-Atlantic states, the person said.

Citigroup and Wells Fargo are competing for control of Wachovia's $448 billion of deposits in 21 states. Citigroup offered $2.16 billion last week for the banking operations, and Wells Fargo, based in San Francisco, trumped that by bidding about $15 billion for the whole company.