Deutsche Bank Chair Has Talked to Shareholders About a Commerzbank Deal
- Achleitner is said to explore potential merger with investors
- Key obstacle is Deutsche Bank’s deflated share price
Deutsche Bank AG Chairman Paul Achleitner is on his third strategic overhaul and fourth chief executive officer. Now, he’s mulling a solution that’s been raised countless times: merging Germany’s weakened banks to create one that thrives.
Achleitner has spoken with top shareholders and key government officials about potentially combining Deutsche Bank with Commerzbank AG, according to people familiar with the matter. There are currently no formal discussions and a deal isn’t imminent. Yet such pairings have been floated -- and sometimes pushed through -- over the past decade as Germany has struggled to sustain a financial titan to match its massive economy. The concept’s re-emergence now shows pressure is building on Achleitner to snap Deutsche Bank out of what it calls a “vicious circle.”