US regulators are trying to clinch a sale of First Republic Bank (FRC.N) over the weekend, with roughly half a dozen banks bidding, sources said on Saturday, in what is likely to be the third major US bank to fail in two months.

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is preparing to place First Republic Bank (FRC.N) under receivership imminently, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, sending shares of the lender down nearly 50 per cent in extended trading.