Is this what a call for a merger looks like? The themes of mergers, exploratory talks, and independence must be discussed with the board, and a comprehensive plan should be in mind, Andreas Preising, the new chairman of the supervisory board of Volksbank Elsen-Wewer-Borchen, said in a mid-August interview with the „Neue Westfälische“.

„It’s a matter of considering who might work more closely with whom regionally," he said, adding that others are also considering the possibilities.

The Paderborn-based bank does not want this to be interpreted as any sort of announcement. Indeed Preising himself emphasised that "nothing concrete is on the table at the moment.“ And new board member Ferdinand Klink added in the same interview that "we are currently not considering a merger.“

However, merger activity in the sector does seem likely: The much larger Verbundvolksbank OWL, which is also based in Paderborn, has grown over many years through numerous mergers. Banks such as Volksbank Paderborn, Volksbank Höxter, Volksbank Detmold, Volksbank Minden, Volksbank Brilon, Volksbank Büren-Salzkotten, and Bankverein Werther now only exist as branches. Verbundvolksbank OWL, with a balance sheet total of 10.4 billion euros, ranks 14th among German credit cooperatives.

Preising and Klink did not specify who their considerations relate to. And Verbundvolksbank OWL itself states that it is „currently not“ considering a merger. Yet the connection to Volksbank Elsen-Wewer-Borchen is strong: New board member Klink was previously the regional manager for the Verbundvolksbank in Brilon. The larger neighbour had previously indicated that Klink should be released early to lead the smaller bank. Klink now heads the bank together with Thomas Petrik.

„For us, it’s a matter of cooperative and neighbourly solidarity“, said Verbundvolksbank CEO Ansgar Käter at that time – a statement that now seems ambiguous. Klink took over at the beginning of the year from Hartmut Lüther, who had spent his entire career at the current Volksbank Elsen-Wewer-Borchen, including around twenty-five years on the board. The bank described this as the end of a long era. Recently, Preising succeeded Bernhard Hartmann as the chairman of the supervisory board.

The Volksbank, which is named after the districts Elsen and Wewer in western Paderborn and the neighboring municipality of Borchen, is a small institution with a balance sheet total of 491 million euros and about 70 employees. A merger is not a necessity, Klink said in the interview. „We are well-positioned and operate in an attractive business area.“ But he also added that "independence is not an end in itself for us.“