German Finance Minister Lindner Joins Criticism of UniCredit (1)

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner criticized the way UniCredit Spa amassed a stake in Commerzbank AG, highlighting the government’s irritation at the Italian lender’s surprise move.

“The style of the UniCredit approach has unsettled many shareholders” and that “is why the German government has decided not to sell any further shares,” Lindner said Tuesday during an event at his ministry in Berlin. He was referring to an announcement on Friday that Germany will hold on to its remaining stake in Commerzbank for now.

Christian Lindner

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

UniCredit has rapidly built up a big stake in Commerzbank, which serves as an important ...