IAG will have to wait until next month for the competition regulator’s decision on its proposed $1.35 billion acquisition of WA-based RAC underwriting.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has pushed back the expected decision date to December 11 from November 27 to consider further information provided by the merger parties.

The ACCC raised preliminary concerns about the deal in a statement of issues on September 4 and invited submissions by September 18. 

RAC Insurance competes strongly in WA with a well-recognised brand and a focus on customer service, the regulator said at the time. “We are concerned the acquisition would increase concentration in an already highly concentrated market,” it said. 

The proposed deal, announced in May, includes a 20-year distribution agreement.

IAG has said it is committed to partnering with RAC and the deal builds on their “shared heritage as mutuals and strong sense of customer and community”.