major commercial bank in Germany with branches and associates in domestic and foreign finance and banking. Headquarters are in Frankfurt.

The bank was established in 1870 as the Commerz- und Disconto-Bank in Hamburg. After two name changes, the bank split into three separate institutions in 1952: Commerzbank Bankverein AG, Commerz und Credit-Bank AG, and Commerz und Disconto-Bank AG. These banks were reunited under the present name in 1958.

Commerzbank engages in a full range of commercial banking activities, specializing in foreign business, credit, and security trading and investment. It has investments in diverse German businesses. It also has interests in banks and financial institutions in a number of foreign countries, in addition to fully integrated foreign branches, subsidiaries, and representative offices worldwide.