French group BNP PARIBAS is to acquire for the sum of $24 billion the American retail bank UCB - UNITED CALIFORNIA BANK (2,800 employed, 117 agencies and $8.8 billion in deposits) from the Japanese banking group UFJ HOLDINGS INC. The agreement provides for the merger of UCB with BANK OF THE WEST, whose parent company, BANCWEST, has just come under BNP PARIBAS control. The move is expected to allow the French group to become a major player in retail banking in the west of the United States...