Italy's Banco Popolare shareholders approve merger with BPM

VERONA, Italy (Reuters) - Shareholders in Italian lender Banco Popolare on Saturday approved a tie-up with Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) by a resounding majority, removing one of the final hurdles to the creation of Italy's third-largest bank. BPM shareholders have the final say on the merger plan and will vote later today after their own meeting in Milan. If approved, the tie-up will be the first prompted by reforms introduced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi early last year to promote mergers and boost bank profitability. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; writing Francesca Landini; editing by Isla Binnie)