Deutsch Bank Ag

Deutsche Bank confirmed Monday that it is in the "advanced stages" of negotiating a nearly $9-billion takeover of Bankers Trust Corp. of New York, a move many analysts see as helping the big German bank compete for a larger piece of Europe's burgeoning merger activity. The combined company, which would have assets of about $850 billion, would jump to the top of the list of the world's biggest banks in terms of assets. The newly merged UBS would rank second, with about $778 billion in assets.

Deutsche Bank confirmed Monday that it is in the "advanced stages" of negotiating a nearly $9-billion takeover of Bankers Trust Corp. of New York, a move many analysts see as helping the big German bank compete for a larger piece of Europe's burgeoning merger activity. The combined company, which would have assets of about $850 billion, would jump to the top of the list of the world's biggest banks in terms of assets. The newly merged UBS would rank second, with about $778 billion in assets.