Should European Regulators Break Up Deutsche Bank?
Recently, Sandy Weill, former Citigroup Chairman and CEO and long-time advocate of “universal banking,” stunned the U.S. financial world when he urged the break-up of “too-big-to-fail” banks in order to prevent future taxpayer-funded bank bailouts. It appears the same sea-change may be emerging in Europe as regulators there consider structural reforms that could force Deutsche Bank and other large European banks to break up, or at least to create firewalls that could insulate their commercial banking operations from their comparatively higher leveraged investment banking units. {read more}
After Waugh, Who?
It has been more than five months since Deutsche Bank announced on February 27 that Seth Waugh is stepping down as CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. In the meantime, a new management team led by co-CEOs Jürgen Fitschen has taken the reins at Deutsche, with the Management Board and Group Executive Committee filled with new regional heads (Europe ex Germany, Germany, UK, Asia-Pacific) — except for the Americas region. Why is the bank taking so long to find a successor to Waugh? {read more}
12 Questions for Deutsche Bank in 2012
On February 2, 2012, Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann will discuss the bank’s preliminary results for FY 2011. Ackermann will leave the bank in 2012—a year in which the World Bank projects a recession in the EU, an anemic recovery in the US, and reduced growth in emerging markets. Against the backdrop of a projected global economic slowdown, and in preparation for Dr. Ackermann’s comments, we have posed 12 questions that may continue to haunt Deutsche Bank in 2012. {read more}
Has Deutsche Bank resolved its “leadership crisis”?
Last month, Deutsche Bank announced that Anshu Jain, head of its investment bank, and Jürgen Fitschen, head of the German unit, will begin to share chief executive duties in 2012. At the same time, current chief executive, Josef Ackermann, will become chairman of the supervisory board if shareholders grant the bank an exemption to German corporate governance rules. The changes are expected to take effect after next year’s May shareholders meeting. {read more}
