Barclays Looking For An American Acquisition (BCS)

British banking giant Barclays Plc. (ADR) (NYSE: BCS) is looking to expand its reach across the Atlantic.

The British bank’s investment banking arm took over Lehman Brother’s American operations in 2008. Now, Barclays has expressed interest in buying a U.S. retail bank. Barclays' move may have been motivated by its desire to have a solid retail deposit base in U.S.

Unlike other banks, Barclays performed well in 2009 as it enhanced its core Tier 1 capital ratio to more than 10 percent. The bank is now in a very solid position, and is looking to emerge as a global leader.