Layoffs Watch '11: Deutsche Bank

Author:: Bess Levin
Publish date:: Oct 25, 2011
Updated on: Jan 14, 2019

The Germans said this morning that 1) employees will face the ax if the "environment" doesn't improve a-SAP 2) these cuts would be on top of those previously announced and 3) have you ever wondered why DB hasn't had to announce that it's letting go of 20 or 30 or 40,000 people? According to Stefan Krause it's because the bank has been "proactive" about cutting staff, doing a little bit each day so it's not overwhelming.

Despite surprisingly strong third quarter earnings, Deutsche Bank will continue to "adjust the platform" and could reduce headcount if the weak environment continues, Chief Financial Officer Stefan Krause said. Reductions would come on top of the 500 cuts already announced, Krause said on a conference call with analysts after third quarter earnings were released. The previously-announced eliminations will be carried out in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of next year, he said. Unlike some of its competitors, Deutsche hasn't had to announce large cuts because it has been "proactive" in already reducing headcount according to its "business development," Krause said.

The Germans are not yet done firing employees in Asia. Deutsche Bank fired around a third of the staff in its Asia equity derivatives business on Tuesday, as part of a global cost savings plan announced on July 31, according to sources familiar with the matter. Just over 20 people remain in the division, down from a number in the mid 30s, according to one source, as Deutsche Bank and others seek to cut costs in businesses that are failing to generate adequate revenues as the global economy slows. The bank let go five traders, four product structurers and at least one salesperson from the division, the sources said, adding that the numbers were not yet finalised because the discussions were continuing...These cuts follow on the heels of layoffs in June in Deutsche Bank's Asian equities business, which like its counterparts at other firms globally has been struggling this summer due to slack trading volumes and a sharp decline in new share issuance. Deutsche Bank cuts a third of jobs in Asia equity derivs [Reuters]

The Germans are considering sending some bankers to live on a farm upstate, where there's plenty of fresh air and room to run around. Europe’s biggest bank by assets, is considering cutting about 1,000 positions at its investment bank as revenue declines, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The cuts will be mostly outside Germany, where the firm’s investment banking operations are focused, said the person, who asked not be identified as Deutsche Bank’s plan hasn’t been made public. [Bloomberg]

The Germans thought about it and decided yes, layoffs sound like a great idea. Deutsche Bank said it will eliminate 1,900 jobs, including 1,500 at the investment bank, as part of an effort to save 3 billion euros ($3.68 billion). Deutsche Bank, based in Frankfurt, forecast “substantial costs” to achieve the savings without giving a figure in a statement to the stock exchange today. The job reductions are part of a strategy review Anshu Jain and Juergen Fitschen, Deutsche Bank’s new co-chief executive officers, are conducting as the lender grapples with declining revenue from the investment bank, which reported a 63 percent decline in second-quarter earnings today...“The time for vague promises of cultural change in our industry is long gone,” Jain said on a conference call with analysts and reporters. Deutsche Bank’s leaders are “totally determined to act quickly and decisively.” Deutsche Bank To Cut 1,900 Jobs In Bid To Save EU3 Billion [Bloomberg]