Intesa says Coutts international arm less valuable than whole group

MILAN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Intesa Sanpaolo would definitely consider bidding for Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS.L - news) 's wealth management arm Coutts if the whole unit were put up for sale but is less interested in buying only its international operations, the Italian bank's chief said on Friday.

Italy's biggest retail lender is seeking to expand into private banking and asset management for the wealthy, and Chief Executive Carlo Messina cited Switzerland, Asia, the United States and Britain as the key regions where it wants to grow.

"I think Coutts is interesting as a whole. If it were put up for sale as a whole, I'd definitely consider it. I am not ruling anything out but the international arm is less valuable, because they don't give you the brand with it," he told reporters.

(Reporting by Silvia Aloisi, editing by Valentina Za)