No reason to speculate about state aid for Deutsche Bank: Merkel spokesman

BERLIN There is no reason for speculation about possible German state aid for Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), a spokesman for Angela Merkel said on Monday, commenting on a weekend magazine report that said the chancellor had ruled out assistance for the lender.

“There is no reason for such speculation as presented there and the federal government doesn’t engage in such speculation,” Steffen Seibert said during a regular government news conference.

Citing government sources, Focus magazine reported on Friday that Merkel had ruled out assistance for the lender, which is fighting a $14 billion demand from the U.S. Department of Justice to settle claims it missold mortgage-backed securities, a shock bill that raises questions about its future.

(Writing by Joseph Nasr- Editing by Michelle Martin)