DEUTSCHE BANK, German Bank, Berlin, was founded in 1870 for the special purpose of furthering and facilitating com mercial relations between Germany and other countries and mar kets. It has developed rapidly until it stands to-day as to capital and turnover, at the head of the large German banks. Its capital and reserve amount to 227,500,000 Reichsmarks. It conducts a general banking business in all its various phases and with its many ramifications.
The Deutsche Bank was the first of the big German banks to found branch offices in the German seaports. It has maintained large offices in Bremen since 1871, and in Hamburg since the beginning of 1872, and has been a pioneer in the history of modern German banking business by conceiving the idea of opening Depositenkassen (trust funds), thereby introducing the cheque system in connection with the receipt of interest-carrying cash deposits. The bank maintains a widely-spread net of branches which is densest in the important industrial sections in the western parts of Germany. These branches number to-day more than 570. In addition, town branches have been opened in the larger towns. Foreign branches are maintained in Amsterdam, Danzig, Kattowitz, Constantinople, and Sofia.
By virtue of its share holdings the Deutsche Bank is perma nently interested in several other banking institutions, inter alia in the Rheinische Creditbank in Mannheim which has been in existence since 1870 and maintains numerous branches in south Germany. It also holds a very large part of the share capital of the Deutsche Ueberseeische Bank, which was founded by the Deutsche Bank in 1886 and has its seat in Berlin. The Deutsche Ueberseeische Bank (Banco Aleman Transatlantico) maintains 22 branches in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uru guay, and branches in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. In October 1929 a merger with the Disconto-Gesellschaft (q.v.) was arranged, the name of the joint bank becoming Deutsche Bank and Dis conto-Gesellschaft. (E. WAG.)