http://www.deutsche-bank.de/db/125/part3.htm (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)
Expansion of the branch network since the turn of the century
In the second half of the nineties a new period of expansion began at the bank. It entered into alliances with large regional banks, thereby obtaining an entree into Germany's main industrial regions. Joint ventures were an indication of the concentration underway at that time in the German banking industry. Branches of its own were still something of a rarity for Deutsche Bank; it set up in Frankfurt am Main in 1886, Munich in 1892 and Dresden and Leipzig in 1901.
In addition, the bank soon saw the worth of specialized companies to promote foreign business. Gentle pressure from the Foreign Ministry played a part in the establishment of Deutsche Ueberseeische Bank in 1886 and the stake taken in the newly established Deutsch-Asiatische Bank three years later, but the success of these companies in difficult times showed that their existence made good commercial sense.
The billing of Deutsche Bank as the "world's biggest bank" by the "Frankfurter Zeitung" in the spring of 1914 marked the high point but also the close of an era. During World War One, the visionary strength which had propelled many a determined company to success was in short supply. Thereafter bankers had to come to terms with a very different world. Before business could get onto a solid footing, Germany was wracked by inflation.
The immediate post-War period was a time of liquidations. The bank had lost most of its assets abroad and was obliged to sell other holdings. A lot of energy went into shoring up what it had. But there was also new business which was to have an impact for a long time to come: the bank played a significant role in the establishment of the film production company, Ufa, and the merger of Daimler and Benz.
