Frankfurt - Germany's Commerzbank AG's shares fell sharply Monday after the Frankfurt-based bank agreed to pay 9.8 billion euros (14.4 billion dollars) to buy rival Dresdner.
While Commerzbank bank stock fell 7 per cent to 18.69 euros in early trading in Frankfurt, shares in Dresdner's parent, Allianz SE, slipped by about 1 per cent, as a result retracing some of the gains the giant insurer made last week.
The supervisory boards of Commerzbank and Allianz signed off on merging Germany's second and third biggest banks at separate meetings Sunday, as a result triggering a major reshaping of the country's fragmented banking business.