The views expressed on this podcast are those of the participants, not of Rojers' News.

I'm confident that the authorities of these institutions concerned, namely Unicredit and Commerce Bank,

will be perfectly aware of their regulatory requirements and will comply with such requirements.

The SSM will do what it has to do in full independence, and clearly cross-border mergers have been hoped for by many authorities,

and it will be very interesting to see that process

unfold in the weeks to come. That was Christine Lagarde, the boss of the

European Central Bank championing the merits of cross-border mergers last

Thursday. The timings of her remarks are all the more

interesting giving Italian Bank Unicredit is looking to strike a merger with perennial takeover target

Commerce Bank. But the deal is far from straightforward and reveals how, in theory, governments,

CEOs and regulators like the idea of banking deals, but the reality is quite different.

The drama surrounding this situation is the focus of this week's Views Room.

Welcome back to the Views Room, the weekly podcast where you, the listener, are invited into a lively

debate with Breaking Views columnists.

I'm your host, Amy Dunlund. This week, we are delving into a rolling story. Andrea Orchelle,

the notorious dealmaker who is now at the helm of 60 billion euro uni credit, is preparing to

make an offer for 19 billion euro Commerce Bank. It all started with a block sale of

shares in Germany. J.P. Morgan was hired by the government to sell down a stake in Commerce Bank.

Orchelle pounced and now holds a 9% stake, making him the second largest shareholder in the lender.

But what does Germany think about Unicredit, which already owns one of its lenders,

HB, and is looking to consolidate its position in Germany?

And will others muscle in?

...