UPDATE 2-Italgas signs $5.8 bln deal to buy smaller rival 2i Rete Gas Adds advisers for 2i Rete Gas' shareholders in paragraph 9 By Francesca Landini MILAN, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Italy's biggest gas distributor Italgas IG.MI said on Saturday it had agreed to buy smaller rival 2i Rete Gas in a 5.3 billion euro ($5.8 billion) deal, including debt. A merger would mark a major step in the consolidation of Italy's gas distribution sector and also create a leading player in Europe, Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo

UPDATE 1-Italy looks to sell up to 15% of Monte dei Paschi in share placement, sources say Adds details from paragraph 5 MILAN, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Italy aims to sell up to around 15% of Monte dei Paschi di Siena BMPS.MI in an upcoming share placement, reducing the government's stake in the bailed-out bank to as low as 12%, two sources close to the matter told Reuters on Friday.

Italy hires banks as global coordinators, bookrunners in Poste stake sale ROME, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury said on Friday it had hired Intesa Sanpaolo, Mediobanca, UniCredit, Citi, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan as global coordinators for the sale of around 14% stake in postal service Poste Italiane PST.MI . Barclays, BNP Paribas, Morgan Stanley, Société Generale and UBS will act as bookrunners, the Treasury said in a statement.

Cost cuts in any Commerzbank merger would affect headquarters not branches, Unicredit CEO tells Economist MILAN, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Cost cuts at Commerzbank CBKG.DE if UniCredit were to buy its German rival would mostly affect its head office not its branch network, UniCredit CRDI.M CEO Andrea Orcel was quoted as saying on Friday. UniCredit has built a near 21% stake in Commerzbank , subject to supervisory approval, and said it sees a merger as the best outcome.

UPDATE 1-ECB's chief supervisor presses for cross-border mergers Updates throughout with Buch plea for deposit insurance scheme, Bundesbank arguemnt for lower sovereign exposure FRANKFURT, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank's chief supervisor pressed her case for cross-border bank mergers on Friday as Italy's UniCredit CRDI.MI considered a bid for Germany's Commerzbank CBKG.DE after taking a large stake last month.