And the man described as the bid's merger specialist is a dentist with dealings in real estate and the business world.

While the background of the merger specialist might raise some eyebrows, the way that Daxor makes money could be a bigger concern for investors.

Other merger specialists, however, expressed doubt that such a lawsuit would succeed.

Still, the merger specialists plan to keep the takeover cauldron bubbling.

While merger specialists enjoy a windfall, their colleagues in the bond markets are watching enviously from the side.

The Delaware ruling, late in the day, surprised many merger specialists who had not expected a decision until next week.

Japanese financial institutions are losing top merger specialists to the American institutions they had looked to as role models.

The first few months of 2006 may pale in comparison to the rest of the year, some merger specialists say.

"This has been one of the best-kept secrets for the last 10 days," one merger specialist said.

In the 1980's, the hottest careers belonged to risk arbitragers and merger specialists.