Wettbewerbspolitik àla UBS

In a previous paper we have shown that the UBS-SBC merger would lead to an excessive concentration in the credit market for small and medium companies. The UBS has reacted to this paper in a series of letters to the Swiss competition authorities. We critically examine the content of these replies with special reference to the policies applied in the US and Germany with respect to banking mergers. We find that the planned merger would have no chance of obtaining a clearing in either of these countries, unless strong remedies such as the selling of one of the two retail networks on the domestic market.