Western Alliance slipped less than 40% in morning trading before pausing the trading.
The company was cited as saying reports that it was pursuing a sale as "absolutely false".
here's WAL's statement:
"The Financial Times report that Western Alliance is considering as sale is categorically false in all respects. There is not a single element of the article is true. Western Alliance is not exploring a sale, nor has it hired an advisor to explore strategic options. It's shameful and irresponsible that the Financial Times has allowed itself to be used as an instrument of short sellers and as a conduit for spreading false narratives about a financially sound and profitable bank. We are considering all of our legal options in response to today's article"