Sep. 8, 2009 (United Press International) -- The Ricketts family's purchase of the Chicago Cubs from the Tribune Co. has passed muster with federal antitrust regulators.

Crain's Chicago Business reported Tuesday the approval of the $800 million deal appears on a Sept. 4 Federal Trade Commission list of pending mergers and acquisitions that have been cleared by officials.

Still to come are a federal bankruptcy judge's ruling on the sale and approval by owners of the other major league teams. The Tribune has been trying to make a deal for 2 1/2 years.

If those approvals come this fall, as expected, the Ricketts family, founders of TD Ameritrade Holding (NASDAQ:AMTD) Co., will own the Cubs, Wrigley Field and one-quarter of Comcast SportsNet.