**Germany’s Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle has warned that German firms face another credit crunch if the country’s banks do not lend more.**In a television interview he said: “They should be giving out more credit. If they don’t do this the government can resort to regulatory measures.”
Mr Bruederle also announced that he had appointed a “credit mediator” to work with banks and companies.
Chancellor Merkel will meet banking leaders to discuss the issue in Berlin.
She is particularly concerned about the availability of credit to Germany’s small and medium-sized firms that make up most of country’s economy.
The new credit mediator is Joachim Metternich, who currently heads up the public investment bank for the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. His new position will start in March.
The government hopes that Mr Metternich will makes it easier for the firms to get loans at reasonable rates.
A statement said he would be charged with “compiling complaints from companies seeking external funding and finding constructive solutions with credit institutions”.
Mr Bruederle said France had already introduced the role “with great success”.