NEW YORK -- For the private-equity industry, the future of BankUnited Financial Corp. might be the most closely watched deal of the year.
Among the bidders expected to make a pitch by Tuesday's deadline is a consortium of private-equity shops led by billionaire investor Wilbur L. Ross. If successful, it would be one of the largest acquisitions in the financial-services sector made by private equity, and could signal a shift in the government's attitude toward private-equity buyers of banks.
"Everyone is watching this deal," said Harvard Business School professor Josh Lerner, who tracks the private-equity industry. "This could be a template that will open the floodgates in terms of transactions."