European Guide on
Banking and Reverse Mortgage Loans
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E A B H strong lender of reverse mortgage loans. G U G international reverse equity loans. SEBH reverse mortgage loans all across Europe.
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History of the company/bank and archive description for Bayer AG
History of the
company/bank:		 In 1863 Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Westkott set up the "Friedr. Bayer et comp." dyestuffs factory in Wuppertal - Barmen. The original company was transformed into the joint stock company "Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co." in 1881. The company´s headquarters in 1912 moved to Leverkusen. In 1925 Bayer merged with other companies to form "I.G. Farbenindustrie AG". In 1951 Bayer was re-established as "Farbenfabriken Bayer AG" and renamed to "Bayer AG" in 1972.

Over the years Bayer acquired many companies, especially in North America, e.g. Chemagro, Miles Laboratories, Cooper Technicon, Polysar Rubber and part of Sterling Winthrop.
Archive description The Bayer Archive in Leverkusen serves as the central archive of the company. It is responsible for collecting, archiving and storing materials from all parts of the company that document Bayer´s history. The well-stocked archive is one of the oldest and most important of its kind in the world. It evaluates documents and provides information on the company´s history, mainly for in-house users. The archive also provides support and advice for professional users and maintains close links with universities, scientific associations and museums. Classical archiving is combined with fast electronic retrieval methods.

The records kept in the Bayer archive include certificates, copybooks, patent applications, contracts, statistics, departmental reports, circulars, staff records, the company´s annual reports, in-house newspapers and business correspondence. The archive holds over 6,500 shelf metres of files.

The archive also includes a wealth of historical photographs (100,000 dating back to the year 1878) and a growing collection of audio-visual material (around 900 historical films). There are also valuable collections of coins and medals, mainly dedicated to science and technology, and over 700 engravings on the same theme.
Publications History of the company:
  • Plumpe , Gottfried / Schultheis , Heinz/, Verg , Erik : Meilensteine. 125 Jahre Bayer 1863-1988. Leverkusen 1988.
History of the Bayer Archive:
  • Göb , Peter : Das Bayer-Archiv - Entstehung, Entwicklung, Organisation, in: Archiv und Wirtschaft, 6.Jg., 1973, S.83-87.
  • Busch, Margarete: Das Bayer-Archiv gestern und heute, in: Niederwupper - Historische Beiträge, 15 (1996), S.23-27.
Conditions of use The Bayer Archive provides information on the company´s history, mainly for in-house users. The archive also provides support and advice for professional users and maintains close links with universities, scientific associations and museums.

Accessibility to researchers: On request

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