Dai-ichi/Protective Life reportedly talking deal

• "Entering the U.S. market has been a goal of Dai-ichi's for some time, " says an analyst, noting the demographic decline in Japan, and Bloomberg reports the company in talks to buy Protective Life (NYSE:PL) for around $4.9B. Protective's valuation as of Friday's close was $4.12B
• Funding would be an issue, and Dai-ichi closed 5% lower in Tokyo action amid reports of a massive stock offering.