Pros and cons: Should Commerzbank be sold to Unicredit?

What an affront: The major Italian bank Unicredit has the audacity to collect more and more shares in the long-established German bank Commerzbank, with the aim of gaining complete control, just as it did with Hypo-Vereinsbank 25 years ago. For almost a year, the Germans have been waging a defensive battle against the Italians' demands. Everyone is on board: management, the works council, and even the federal government, since the federal government still holds a 12 percent stake in the bank. They argue that German medium-sized businesses may no longer be adequately financed with loans if Italians are in charge of Germany's second-largest bank. The systemic risks are much higher with one large bank than with several smaller ones. And besides, they say, it is not appropriate to take over another company against its will.