National Australia Bank suspended negotiations over its offer for financial planning dealer group Professional Investment Services, The Age reported. The bank first made the offer for the firm in December 2009.Columnist Adele Ferguson wrote that NAB was increasingly worried that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission may block the bank's much more important bid for the Australian and New Zealand businesses of Axa Asia Pacific. NAB's decision to suspend talks with PIS was taken in that context, the newspaper reported.The newspaper also reported speculation that the ACCC will extend its timetable for consideration of the bids by NAB, and also AMP, for Axa. A decision was due on March 17.A statement of issues published by the ACCC in the second week of March suggested that the competition regulator is reaching an unfavourable view of the prospect of further consolidation in the market for investment platforms.The core of the objection is the pricing power that either NAB or AMP may command in this market segment.