Just a few years ago they were analogous to the gluttonous charicatures in a Hogarth painting, but M&A deals have been on the equivalent of a corporate Atkins diet of late.
The biggest deal this year involves a family-controlled Indian business in the telecommunications sector with a price tag of $11 billion.
In sharp contrast, when we last covered the family business M&A story in the summer of 2007, the largest deal was a joint $96 billion bid for ABN Amro by the Botin family-controlled Santander group in partnership with RBS and Fortis.
