Unicredito and HVB To Cut 9,000 Jobs Upon Merger

If the planned merger of Unicredito and Germany's HVB Group goes through, the companies plan to cut 9,000 jobs. This would lead to a 50% jump in operating income for the two banks. Together, the two banks have 130,000 employees. The 9,000 jobs that they plan to cut will be 7% of the workforce. Most of the cuts will happen in Italy, Germany, and Eastern Europe.

Unicredito and HVB expect to take in a combined operating profit of 8.3 euros this year. They are looking to have the deal come to a close by the end of October. Shares of both Unicredito and HVB went up about 4% upon news of the banks' plans. Unicredito will be offering five shares for every HVB share. It will also buy Bank Austria Creditanstalt and BHP, which are owned by HVB. Investors are hoping that Unicredito will help HVB with risk management. "After the deal is completed, financial discipline will be the key word," said UniCredito CEO Alessandro Profumo. Chris is a staff writer for latest ebusiness news.