A study of German banking law and practice. The articles are designed to cover the subject and take a systematic approach. They are written by experts from authorities, banks and universities. The idea for the book was born in a conference on German and Chinese banking law.

Written by a team of scholars, predominantly from the Centre for Financial Studies in Frankfurt, this volume provides a descriptive survey of the present state of the German financial system and a new analytical framework to explain its workings.

An insight into bank secrecy in major jurisdictions, complemented by chapters on privacy, data protection, conflict of laws and exchange of information.

Bank Recovery and Resolution Second Edition Sven Schelo Since 2008, enormous efforts have been made worldwide to draft rules to prevent a reoccurrence of the devastating financial events of that year. In the process, bank business has been laid open to intense public and government scrutiny, and regulation of banking has grown to spectacular proportions. Prominent among the measures taken is the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), which, together with the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) and the Single Resolution Fund, constitutes a crucial new pillar in the European Banking Union. Practitioners searching for orientation in what can readily be perceived as a ‘jungle’ have an urgent need for a clear and systematic description and analysis of these new rules, which are sure to have a massive impact on bank business from this time on, not only in Europe but also wherever European business is to be found. The solidly grounded analysis in this important book sets the new rules under BRRD into their full context as cross-border phenomena. With its crystal-clear explanation of key provisions, procedures, and ‘triggers’, the book organises a highly complex legal system into patterns and action plans that can be applied in virtually any eventuality likely to arise in cases where bank business is of central significance. Among the topics covered are the following: – entities covered by BRRD; – exceptions under BRRD; – objective and scope of BRRD tools – bail-in, bridge bank, sale of business, asset separation; – asset quality reviews; – curing or mitigating the continuing problem of non-performing loans; – new rules as response to lack of private solutions; – banks’ requirement to provide a minimum amount of eligible liabilities; – safety buffers to protect resolution; – need to be ‘resolvable’ in a worst case; – leverage and liquidity ratios; – forced mergers; – market spillover effects of recovery planning; – group recovery planning; – effects of foreign law contracts and assets; – write-down of capital instruments; and – special problems of cross-border restructuring. The presentation is enhanced by a comparative dimension, which includes reference to United States and other national developments and a full-scale analysis of Switzerland’s regulatory response to the crisis. Given that a full seamless global system of bank recovery and resolution has not yet been found, and that major banks are global players headquartered in different jurisdictions and even different continents, this book will greatly assist in the work of practitioners who must deal with cases involving international banking under the prevailing status quo. Its usefulness to officials and academics in international banking and finance law and policy, who are working towards a global solution, is of incalculable value.

The European Union has long sought to create a single financial area across Europe where consumers in one country benefit from financial markets and activities in other countries. With the emergence of the Internet as a platform for the provision of online banking services, the creation of a pan-European market for banking services appeared a realistic proposition. In practice, however, this has not happened. This book asks why and argues that the creation of banking markets via the Internet relies on both available technologies and appropriate laws and regulations. The institutional and legal framework for online banking services in the single European market are examined, as is the level of legal harmonization achieved in the UK, France and Germany under the influence of the EU Directives pertaining to online banking activities.

Does globalization erode the nation state's capacity to act? Are nation states forced to change their policies even if this goes against the democratic will of their electorates? How does government action change under conditions of globalization? Questions like these have not only featured highly in political debates in recent years, but also in academic discourse. This book seeks to contribute to that debate. The general question it addresses is whether globalization leads to policy convergence — a central, but contested topic in the debate, as theoretical arguments can be advanced both in favour of and against the likelihood of such a development. More specifically, the book contains detailed empirical case studies of four countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland) in a policy area where state action has been particularly challenged by the emergence of world-wide, around-the-clock financial markets in the last few decades, namely that of the regulation and supervision of the banking industry. Based on careful analysis of historical developments, specific challenges, the character of policy networks and institutions, and their interaction in the political process, this book argues that nation states still possess considerable room for manouevre in pursuing their policies. Even if they choose supranational coordination and cooperation, their national institutional configurations still function as filters in the globalization process. This book is of particular value to readers interested in the politics and policies of globalization, the interaction of business communities and the political system in different countries, and students of comparative politics interested in detailed case studies of policy-making.

German law has been of long-standing interest and increasing relevance around the world, but access for researchers and practitioners very frequently was limited by the necessity of German language proficiency. Offering English-language access to these fields, the Annual of German & European Law is a significant contribution to the global discourse on and study of German, European and Comparative law. Each volume presents: (1) articles – original, cutting-edge scholarship from the fields of German and European law; (2) jurisdictional reports – comments on the latest caselaw from Germany’s most significant courts and the case-law of the European courts having importance for Germany; (3) book reviews – surveying the most compelling recent literature (whether in the German or English language) in the fields of German and European law; and (4) translations – exclusive English-language versions of significant primary sources of German law, including statutes and court opinions). The first volumes of the Annual of German & European Law have attracted contributions from some of the most preeminent commentators, scholars and jurists in the fields, including, among others: Luke Nottage (Volume I); Juliet Lodge (Volume I); Alexander Somek (Volume I): Susanne Baer (Volume I): Renate Jaeger (Volume II): Günter Frankenberg (Volume II): Bootjan Zupanãiã (Volume II): Nigel Foster (Volume II) The third volume maintains this tradition of high quality, peer-reviewed scholarship with contributions expected from Gertrude Lübbe-Wolff (Justice, German Federal Constitutional Court) and Christian Joerges (European University Institute).

It is thirteen years since the appearance of the successful second edition of this convenient English-language introduction to the law of Germany. This new edition covers all the significant changes and innovations that have occurred during that period, encompassing the pervasive impacts of European Union law and of globalization, as well as the greatly increased activity of the German legislature in every area addressed in this volume. With fifteen lucid chapters written by academic experts in their respective fields of law, as well as detailed bibliographies, this is the ideal starting point for research whenever a question of German law must be answered. The authors clearly explain the legal concepts, customs, and rules arising from such basic elements as the following: – characteristic problems of German legal unity; – principles and practices of constitutional law; – administrative law and procedure; – the German Commercial Code; – formation and conduct of corporations and partnerships; – contracts; – tort liability; – property rights; – family law; – succession and inheritance; – labor and employment; – issues of private international law; – courts and civil procedure; – the penal code and criminal procedure. Introduction to German Law, Third Edition provides an authoritative description of all issues likely to emerge in the course of normal application of German law in any context.

A number of practical implications and issues can arise in the daily functioning of independent (first demand) guarantees and standby letters of credit. Bank Guarantees in International Trade provides a comprehensive, highly readable study of the legal and practical aspects and implications of these instruments, broadening the reader's understanding of the law on the subject. This work comprises all reported case law from the Netherlands, Germany, France, The United Kingdom, and Belgium and also takes into account the law in certain other European countries And The United States. it examines the governing law of bank guarantees in numerous regions, particularly within the Middle East and North Africa. The Appendix includes, among other materials, The text of the 1992 ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees, The 1995 UNCITRAL Convention, and many sample texts. Its transnational perspective enhances the value of this work, making it useful in other jurisdictions. This second edition contains thoroughly revised, updated, and amended material which reflects new developments in the law and changing patterns in practice and accounts For The introduction of new techniques and problem areas. Bankers and lawyers in particular will find Bank Guarantees in International Trade an insightful and informative work.