Possible merger of rivals: German govt will closely follow Deutsche, Commerzbank talks

The German government will closely observe talks between Deutsche Bank and its rival Commerzbank on a possible merger but it is up to them to take any commercial decision, a government spokesman said on Monday. "The government will observe these attentively," government spokesman Steffen Seibert, speaking at a regular government news conference, said of the talks.

A Finance Ministry spokesman said: "This is about the decision of two commercial companies, which have said they want to embark on open-ended talks about closer cooperation and as the Federal Finance Ministry, we take note of that." Asked if the talks followed pressure from the Finance Ministry, he added: "I am not aware of any pressure."