Product details

This is the first of a two-case series (305-017-1 and 105-012-1). The two cases can be taught in tandem or independently. This case focuses on the acquisition by Deutsche Bank of Bankers Trust in 1998 and 1999. At the time, it was the largest merger or acquisition of a US bank by a foreign bank and formed the largest bank in the world. This case provides the detailed background and history of the two banks and ends just following the closing of the merger and acquisition deal in mid-1999. As such, the focus of this case is on strategy and the strategic rationale behind the acquisition - what drove each party to the table - and the human resource and cultural challenges that Deutsche Bank faces in integrating a conservative German corporate banking culture with a risk- oriented American investment banking culture (the post-merger integration). The case can also be used in a simulation focused on negotiation and in executive education courses.