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History of the company/bank and archive description for Deutsche Bank AG |
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| History of the company/bank: |
Deutsche Bank was founded with the issuance of the Prussian government´s approval of its articles of association on 10 March 1870. It established branches in Bremen, Hamburg, Shanghai and Yokohama in 1871 and 1872, followed in 1873 by the opening of the Deutsche Bank London Agency in London. With the takeover of Deutsche Union-Bank and Berliner Bank - Verein in 1876 it became the biggest bank in Germany (in terms of total assets). Deutsche Bank´s activities bore the stamp of a universal bank very early on. Industrial business was also systematically built up. From the mid - 1880s subsidiaries began to be established abroad (Deutsche Ueberseeische Bank and Deutsch - Asiatische Bank). After 1913, it merged with a number of regional banks. In 1914 with Bergisch Märkische Bank, Elberfeld, in 1917 with Schlesischer Bankverein, Breslau, in 1920 with Hannoversche Bank, in 1924 with Württembergische Vereinsbank, Stuttgart, and in 1925 with Essener Credit - Anstalt. In 1929 followed the biggest and most important merger in German banking history, that of Deutsche Bank and Disconto - Gesellschaft. Norddeutsche Bank, Hamburg, A. Schaafhausen´scher Bankverein, Cologne, Rheinische Creditbank, Mannheim, and Süddeutsche Disconto - Gesellschaft, Mannheim, were also affected by this merger as they had been taken over previously by the two big banks. The resulting institution was called "Deutsche Bank und Disconto - Gesellschaft" until 1937, when it reassumed the name Deutsche Bank. In the years of National Socialism (1933 - 45) Deutsche Bank´s business activities came increasingly under state control. In the course of the "Aryanization" of German business decreed by law, the bank took over a number of banks and enterprises. It also cooperated with banks in Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Austria. After the Second World War, Deutsche Bank was decentralized under the legislation passed by the Allies to break up the big banks. At the same time, ten successor institutions were created, with no legal status of their own but often taking over the old bank´s premises and staff in the western zones of occupation. On 29 March 1952, out of Deutsche Bank, Berlin, which was in liquidation, three successor institutions (Norddeutsche Bank AG, Rheinisch - Westfälische Bank AG and Süddeutsche Bank AG) were then created, into which the existing successor institutions were absorbed. In 1957 the three successor institutions were merged. Since then the bank has been operating under the name "Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft" with its registered office in Frankfurt am Main. In 1970 a subsidiary was established in Luxembourg, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. A representative office was opened in Moscow in 1973, and in 1976 the first foreign branch since the Second World war was opened in London. Further branches were opened in Paris (1977), Brussels and Antwerp (1978), New York, Madrid, Milan and Hong Kong (1979) and Strasbourg (1987). Among the many takeovers and acquisitions were the acquisition in 1986 of the Italian Banca d´America e d´Italia SpA., Milan, (since 1994 Deutsche Bank SpA) with about 100 branches, and two years later the takeover of H. Albert de Bary & Co. N.V., Amsterdam, and the acquisition of a majority interest in Banco Commercial Transatlántico S.A., Barcelona (since 1994 Deutsche Bank S.A. Espanóla), with over 100 branches. In 1989 Deutsche Bank acquired the holding company Morgan Grenfell Group plc. In recent years Deutsche Bank has extended its activities to include building savings business (1987), life insurance (1989) and home banking (Bank 24, 1995). The year 1990 was marked by the foundation of Deutsche Bank - Kreditbank AG, Berlin, with more than 150 branches in East Germany. After Germany´s reunification this subsidiary was integrated into Deutsche Bank AG. Since 1990 the presence of Deutsche Bank in Eastern Europe has been extended. Representative offices were founded in Budapest, Prague and Warsaw (since 1995 Deutsche Bank Polska S.A.) plus others in the former Soviet Union. To strengthen Deutsche Bank´s international investment activities the investment banking area was reorganized in 1994 / 95 under the trading name of "Deutsche Morgan Grenfell" and is now centralized in London. Along with this transformation the tasks of the board of managing directors were divided into operational and strategic functions. |
| Archive description | The Historical Institute has records of Deutsche Bank documents from the time it was founded in 1870 up to the recent past. The records stretch over around 5,000 metres. Around 50% of documents are listed on computer, and search methods for the remaining files consist of catalogues, index cards, or simply record lists. Of particular importance for research into economic history is the fact that Deutsche Bank had long - term connections, based on the house - bank principle, with almost all leading industrial companies in Germany. Available Records:
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| Conditions of use | Researchers should be at least PhD - students. Their inquiry should be addressed by letter to the Historical Institute. They may access files up to and including 1945, which amount to 1,500 metres. |