Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechselbank

UniCredit Bank Aktiengesellschaft, better known under its brand name Hypovereinsbank (HVB), is the fifth-largest of the German financial institutions, ranked according to its total assets, and the fourth largest bank in Germany according to the number of its employees. Its registered office is in Munich and it is a member of the Cash Group. Since 2005, UniCredit Bank AG has been a subsidiary of UniCredit S.p.A., an Italian financial service provider with its registered office in Rome and its headquarters in Milan. When the transfer resolution was entered in the commercial register in 2008, the equities of the minority shareholders were transferred to the principal shareholder, UniCredit S.p.A. as part of a squeeze-out. HVB thus became a wholly subsidiary and has not been listed on the since this time.

Operating in Germany, HVB mainly focuses on private clients business and corporate banking, customer-related capital market activities and private banking (also known as Wealth Management). As a mixed mortgage bank, it performs banking operations as a universal bank within the meaning of the Mortgage Banking Act and, as a mortgage bank, is also authorised to issue pfandbriefs.

The oldest roots of UniCredit Bank AG go back to Bayerische Staatsbank, which was founded during the second half of the 18th century. Inspired by the Königliche Bank Berlin, Margrave Karl Alexander von Brandenburg-Ansbach founded his own bank, the Hochfürstlich-Brandenburg-Anspach-Bayreuthische Hofbanco, using a small amount of operating capital, namely 15,000 guilders. The margrave resorted to this plan for economic reasons as he wanted to avoid the fees charged by the foreign banks, and access the aid funds provided by England for his soldier trade. The war between England and France in North America had led England to conclude contracts with German counts and request troops from them in exchange for aid funds.