ECB Officials Question Logic of Deutsche Bank-Commerzbank Deal

Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG are facing intense skepticism from top European regulators about whether a combination would put the two lenders on safer footing, according to people familiar with the matter.

Several members of the European Central Bank’s supervisory board questioned the logic of a merger at recent meetings, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the deliberations were private. Officials are concerned that the ECB’s credibility will suffer a major blow if they approve a deal and the merged bank then runs into trouble, they said.