APACHE, ECOPETROL & TALISMAN/BP

Apache Corporation agreed to pay BP p.l.c. $7 billion for oil and gas assets in Texas, New Mexico, Canada, and Egypt on July 20. BP plans to use the cash to help fund the $30 billion it’s raising to pay for damage caused by its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. To that end, Apache advanced BP $5 billion of the purchase price on July 30, well before the deal’s expected close later in the third quarter pending regulatory approvals.