Facing an international financial crisis that could lead its own financial system to the brink of collapse, the German government needed to show political will in order to save financial institutions in risky situations. This article analyzes the legal strategies used to rescue the financial system, including the statization of banking institutions as an ultima ratio. Prior to the bank statization established by the Rescue Takeover Act, the Financial Market Stabilization Act foresaw an increase in the capital of financial institutions by means of state control without statization. This last act, nonetheless, has not been considered enough to avoid the collapse of a banking institution that is relevant for the whole financial system such as Hypo Real Estate (HRE).
international financial crisis; financial system; bank institution; statization; Germany