The demand could complicate a bid to create Europe’s third-largest bank from Germany’s top two lenders, Deutsche and Commerzbank, who have struggled to recover since the financial crisis.Government officials, led by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, have pushed for a merger to create a national banking champion and end questions over the banks’ future.
A merged entity could need up to 10 billion euros of fresh capital because of restructuring costs and the fact that losses on investments could be triggered by a tie-up. A deal would see Berlin become a shareholder in the combined group. Germany currently holds a 15 percent stake in Commerzbank after a bailout during the financial crisis.The banks announced on March 17 that they were in talks to merge and a preliminary decision on whether they want to go forward with a merger is expected within days.
UniCredit could explore a merger with Commerzbank if talks with Deutsche fall through, two people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.