The logo of German bank Commerzbank seen on a branch office near the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt.
Daniel Roland | Afp | Getty ImagesTwo months since UniCredit played its opening move to woo German lender Commerzbank , the lenders flaunted their financial strength as one of Europe's largest banking mergers still hangs in balance.
Both banks reported third-quarter results on Wednesday, with UniCredit posting an 8% year-on-year hike in net profit to 2.5 billion euros ($2.25 billion), compared with a Reuters-reported 2.27-billion euro forecast.
It raised its full-year net profit guidance to above 9 billion euros, from a previous outlook of 8.5 billion euros.
When the Italian lender showed its hand by using derivatives to build a potential 21% stake in Commerzbank, the German lender appointed a new CEO and sharpened its financial targets.
Persons:
Daniel Roland, UniCredit, Commerzbank, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Bettina Orlopp, Orlopp, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, waylay, Let's, hadn't, Andrea Orcel, CNBC's Charlotte Reed
Organizations:
Afp, Getty, Reuters, CNBC, Wednesday, German Ministry of Finance
Locations:
Frankfurt, Europe, Commerzbank, Berlin