July 23 (Reuters) - Northern Trust ( NTRS ) has not

entertained any discussions about a sale of the asset and wealth

manager, Chief Executive Mike O'Grady told analysts during a

post-earnings conference call on Wednesday.

"Contrary to recent speculation, during my tenure as CEO, we

have never entertained discussions regarding the sale of the

company with any financial institution, nor do we intend to,"

O'Grady said.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that BNY had

approached its smaller rival, Northern Trust ( NTRS ), about a potential

merger.

Northern Trust ( NTRS ), which has a market cap of about $24.6

billion, later said it was fully committed to remaining

independent.