NGlobal Magazin 01-2010

Nord/LB bank is one of the leading commercial banks in northern Germany

Niedersachsen Global www.nglobal.de 58 Initiatives Keep It Real Nord/LB bank is one of the leading commercial  banks in northern Germany. It is also a reliable   partner for medium-sized companies.  Particularly so in times of crisis. Interview with Eckhard Forst by Hans Gäng Mr. Forst, over the entire course of the financial crisis proper, Nord/LB has hardly been on the news. How come? Nord/LB bank has a very customer-oriented business model which is deeply rooted in the real economy. We cooperate with flesh and blood customers whom we know very well. And we are guided by a very conservative risk policy. We keep out of highly speculative business and intransparent financial products. This did help us during the financial crisis. Nontheless, we will have to brace ourselves for notice- able strain over the next few years. The crisis has not yet come to an end, and we have been affected by it, too. But will we be able to cope with its effects. There is a debate going on about regulatory policy in Europe, about the role of the German state banks. What is your position? We do not get involved in discussions about politics, we try to do our homework well. We had our business model and our risk policy in place before the crisis, our costs were under control and we were well-positioned as far as capital goes. We are working hard to be a reliable partner for our customers. This is our responsi- bility as a bank and also vis-à-vis the public. We leave regulatory policy to others. What part does Nord/LB play in the development of the regional economy and infrastructure, particularly in the maritime economy? It is important for us to live up to our responsibility as a state bank. This is why, in close cooperation with savings banks, the Sparkassen, we support the regional economy. In doing so we also share our special know-how in specific areas of finance such as maritime financing, which to a significant extent in northern Ger- many means the financing of medium-sized businesses, or in project financing. We are, for example, one of the leading institutions who back the renewable energies sector. In the field of offshore wind farming, new and challenging perspectives for growth are opening up for the maritime economy, particularly in Niedersachsen. How do you—as an international leader in the area of finance—see global economic trends in the sectors energy and maritime economy, Photo: Nord/LB Nord/LB Nord/LB Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale, with a staff of 6,200 employees and a consolidated balance sheet total of 242.3 billion euros, is one of the leading commercial banks in the north of Germany, with the focus of business activities on North and North East Europe. It offers a wide range of financial services to its private, corporate and institutional clients and to the public sector. The main areas of specialisation of Nord/LB are invest- ment, agricultural and real estate banking, corpo- rate finance, ship and aircraft financing and private banking. www.nordlb.de