UniCredit wants Commerzbank CEO and chair to leave their roles, sources say

COMMERZBANK AG

15/09/2026 13:38

Updates with context in paragraphs 5-6
By Tom Sims and Valentina Za
FRANKFURT/MILAN, Sept 15 (Reuters) - UniCredit CRDI.MI CEO Andrea Orcel wants Bettina Orlopp to leave her job as the CEO of Commerzbank and is opposed to the German government's demand to maintain two supervisory board seats, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the Italian lender moves closer to taking over its German rival.
UniCredit also wants Commerzbank Chairman Jens Weidmann to leave, two of the people said.
UniCredit didn't immediately respond to a request for comment and Commerzbank declined to comment. 
The German finance ministry declined to comment further after it said on Monday it wants to keep two board seats.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Orcel met on Monday on the Italian bank's takeover plans. Both called the meeting "constructive."
Germany has set out a number of demands, including Commerzbank remaining listed on the stock exchange, keeping its base in Frankfurt and continuing to finance German medium-sized companies at home and abroad.

 (Reporting by Tom Sims and Valentina Za; additional reporting by Maria Martinez; editing by Friederike Heine)
 ((Tom.Sims@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 220 133 645;))