Two crucial meetings this month may settle the
uncertain future of Bavarian giant HypoVereinsbank, in turmoil since chairman Albrecht Schmidt and merger partner Eberhard Martini had a very public row. Auditors, former board members and the Munich state prosecutor are embroiled in a high-octane war. It was born in the euphoria of German unification, brewed in the property
slump of the late 1990s, and exploded into a battle of numbers that no-one can win. David Shirreff reports.
December 01, 1999