The courtship between insurance giants Cigna and Humana is just not meant to be, Cigna officials said Monday. Why it matters: The statement marks the likely end to on-and-off discussions about combining the companies into what would have been the nation's second-largest insurer — and potentially drawing antitrust scrutiny.

The flat-out denial comes after Cigna CEO David Cordani tried to throw cold water on persistent speculation of a Humana merger earlier this fall.