European Regulators Signal Backing for Possible Commerzbank Deal
- Bank supervisors in private see few reasons to block takeover
- Berlin opposes a deal but indicated there’s little it can do
A Commerzbank branch in Frankfurt.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A potential takeover by UniCredit SpA of rival Commerzbank AG would likely get regulatory approval, several senior central bank and supervision officials indicated, saying there are few reasons why a deal should raise concerns.
The European Central Bank would probably give a green light to an offer from UniCredit, the officials from Germany and various other jurisdictions said. Almost all took a positive general view on cross-border consolidation as a way to overcome financial fragmentation and boost bank profitability in Europe.