Hope for German Banking Industry

Germany's banking industry has bottomed out, and the worst is now over, according to the head of the German Reconstruction Loan Corporation, Hans Reich. However, he said that he doesn't view the Reconstruction Loan Corporation as having profited from the banking crisis. "Our experience shows that when the economy is running better, then there's a greater demand for investment credit. We expect demand in the new year to surpass that of 2003," Reich said, adding that his institution's main duty lies in supporting small and medium-sized companies, which don't get enough support from the market.