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German banks pressed to lend
Germany’s finance minister Peer Steinbrueck has written to the country’s banks to urge them to increase their lending to businesses. Steinbrueck is keen to ensure that a lack of lending does not hamper Germany’s recovery. “Credit institutions in Germany today face a particular responsibility for the overall economy,” he said. “You are, and remain, urged to fulfil this responsibility by keeping up an ample supply of credit to the German economy at appropriate conditions.”