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* Battle for Hong Kong mid-sized banks heats up

* OCBC does not have big presence in China

* China's AgBank does not have big presence outside China

* Chong Hing shares suspended ahead of merger announcement

By Denny Thomas and Saeed Azhar

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Singapore's Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd OCBC.SI has joined other suitors in weighing a bid for Wing Hang Bank Ltd 0302.HK , one of four Hong Kong family-run lenders well positioned as a gateway between mainland China and the wider world.

OCBC is weighing an offer, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Agricultural Bank of China Ltd

601288.SS , China's No. 4 bank, is also considering a bid for Wing Hang, which has a market value of about $4.5 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

China's economic clout and the growth of the offshore yuan fixed-income market has made Hong Kong's mid-sized banks attractive to foreign lenders looking for a foothold on the mainland and for mainland Chinese banks seeking to branch out beyond their home turf.

Other potential suitors include Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd ANZ.AX , Australia's No. 4 bank, and Singapore's third-biggest lender United Overseas Bank Ltd

UOBH.SI , sources have said.

OCBC, Singapore's No. 2 lender by assets, is rated by analysts as one of Asia's strongest bank with Tier 1 capital ratio of 14.9 percent.

But it has lagged domestic rival DBS Group Holdings Ltd

DBSM.SI in North Asia. DBS's Hong Kong unit, which was formed through an acquisition, is the fifth-biggest bank in the commercial city.

OCBC earned just 5 percent of its first-half core profit from Greater China, while Singapore accounted for 61 percent.

For China's AgBank, a successful bid would be its first major acquisition outside its home market since a record-breaking IPO three years ago and one that could help it catch up with other state-run rivals.

While such a purchase would put a dent in the bank's cash pile, it would beef up its onshore and offshore deposit base. AgBank currently has just six overseas branches. Bank of China, by comparison, is in 36 countries.

The news comes as Chong Hing Bank Ltd 1111.HK , another Hong Kong-based family-run bank, nears a deal to be bought by Yue Xiu Group, a trading arm of China's Guangzhou city government, Reuters reported on Wednesday. ID:nL3N0ID2CX

Chong Hing's shares were suspended on Thursday pending a merger announcement.

Wing Hang Bank's controlling shareholders said last month they had received preliminary offers from independent third parties which they did not name, putting the bank in play. Hong Kong's Fung family and BNY International Financing Corp jointly own about 45 percent of the bank.

(Additional reporting by Stephen Aldred, Michael Flaherty and Runjun Shen; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

((denny.thomas@thomsonreuters.com)(+852 2843 6358)(Reuters Messaging: denny.thomas.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: OCBC WINGHANG/