Bundesbank looking at branch closures

STUTTGART (Reuter) - The Bundesbank is considering closing about half of its 190 external branches, affecting about 2,000 of its 18,000 employees, the public service workers' union OeTV said.

A Bundesbank spokesman in Frankfurt confirmed that the central bank's council would discuss rationalising its branch network, but did not say when, and declined to comment on an OeTV statement that a decision would be made in October.

The union said it would call for any workers affected to be paid a settlement.