AIB CEO says markets in a good place for an IPO

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Equity markets are in a good place for Allied Irish Banks to launch an initial public offering, Chief Executive Bernard Byrne said on Thursday. Ireland has appointed several banks to act as bookrunners and global coordinators for the potential sale of a 25 percent stake in AIB and has said the nearest window to sell the shares would be between mid-May and early July. "You need a few things to align. We have them all aligning at this point in time and markets are the variable so I certainly wouldn't be saying anything other than it's a good time, given the market," Bernard Byrne told reporters. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; editing by Jason Neely)