It’s been a terrible few weeks for the markets, but some on Wall Street have won on the M&A front.

According to Thomson Reuters latest rankings, Citigroup is in second place for the year so far advising on $251 billion of deals, as opposed to fifth place this time last year.

Dealogic figures put it at number three, up from number four last year.

Recent Citi advisory roles include Ashland’s $3.3 billion purchase of Hercules, Dow’s $18.7 billion purchase of Rohm & Haas and advised Anheuser-Busch in the saga with InBev — whose amended offer to purchase Bud now stands at $59.6 billion.

Perhaps revamps to its banking are having a speedy impact?

Check out: InBever-Busch? BudBever?
 
That hostile takeover stuff between InBev and Anheuser-Busch with the court fight and proxy battle and stuff? Looks like it was nothing a little more money can’t solve.

The two companies have begun friendly negotiations, a source told Reuters. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported that InBev has raised its offer by $5, to $70 a share, to try to cinch a friendly deal.

Some analysts have said that even $65 was something Anheuser-Busch shareholders would take. At $70, the discussions could be reduced more to things like what to call the company.

InBev is the buyer, so it could just keep its own name. A Busch runs the company, so they could get a nod if there is some sort of corporate name change, a la DaimlerChrysler, or Newell Rubbermaid.

Eberhard Anheuser, who started the company by buying a Bavarian brewery in 1860 might be out of luck. But Adolphus Busch was his son-in-law, so the family could still be represented.

So, any naming consultants have any ideas for what to call the company if a deal happens?
 
Also in the basket:
 
Carlos Slim boosts Saks stake (WWD)
Steve & Barry’s looks to expedite process (WWD, subscription required)

(Image from Anheuser-Busch)

The subprime crisis has come to this: The U.S. government is considering taking over mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac if their funding problems worsen, the New York Times reported, citing people briefed on the matter. Fannie and Freddie, government-sponsored entities that have the implicit backing of Washington, would be placed into conservatorship, with shareholders left with little or nothing, and the losses on the $5 trillion in home loans they own or guarantee — what amounts to half of all U.S. mortgages — would be paid by U.S. taxpayers.

General Electric is set to sell its Japanese consumer finance operation to Shinsei Bank for 580 billion yen ($5.4 billion), people familiar with the matter said. The business includes a moneylender, Lake, as well as a credit card and housing loan operation. GE had previously said it was looking to sell Lake, but did not say anything about the entire Japanese consumer finance business.

How’s this for an about-face? Anheuser-Busch is in active talks to sell itself to InBev in a friendly deal, the New York Times said on its website, citing people briefed on the matter. Price seems to be a factor, with InBev seemingly open to raising its $65 per share offer, along with pressure from major shareholders like Warren Buffett. What will politicians like Sen. Claire McCaskill and presidential candidate Barack Obama say now that “America’s Beer” may be selling itself willingly?

Citigroup is selling its German retail business to France’s Credit Mutuel for more than $8 billion. The cash proceeds of around $4 billion will go to bolster Citi’s Tier 1 capital ratio, a key measure of a bank’s financial health, by 60 basis points to 9.4 percent.