German regulator looks into reports surrounding Deutsche Bank, Postbank

Germany’s financial services regulator said it is looking into reports about Deutsche Bank’s role in the planned offering of shares in Postbank, the banking unit of mail service Deutsche Post.

Deutsche Bank, Germany’s biggest, is acting as one of the global coordinators in Postbank’s initial public offering, set for June 21. But the buildup was marked by speculation that it was mulling a takeover over Postbank itself and a report that an internal memo on Postbank’s valuation was leaked.

“When we read such things, then we try to get to the bottom of it until we form an opinion,” the German regulator’s president, Jochen Sanio, told Dow Jones Newswires.

One possible issue to consider is whether any kind of insider dealing took place, Sanio said, but he stressed that regulators haven’t reached any conclusion yet.

Deutsche Post is listing 50 percent minus one share in Postbank, whose 11.5 million depositors make it Germany’s biggest retail bank by number of customers.

Last month, Deutsche Post moved to squash speculation about a possible Deutsche Bank takeover, saying it planned to keep a majority stake “for the long term.”