Cerberus Capital Management is seeking a confidentiality agreement that would allow it to examine the books and internal operations of BlackBerry, the New York Times DealBook blog reported yesterday. It was not clear whether the move would ultimately lead to a bid for BlackBerry, which reported a $1 billion quarterly loss last week largely because its new line of smartphones flopped. The company has already agreed to a preliminary and conditional offer from its largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings of Toronto. While it remains free to look for a better offer, BlackBerry would have to pay Fairfax $157 million if it accepts another bid before Nov. 4. Fairfax can walk away without penalty.
