Reuters first with planned Commerzbank spin-off

Reuters was first to report on April 6 that Germany’s Commerzbank has offered to spin off its Eurohypo unit in an attempt to defuse a row with the European Commission over state aid. The story, which helped to support Commerzbank shares, was widely published with Reuters credit in major newspapers such as Die Welt, Stuttgarter Zeitung Berliner Morgenpost and Rheinische Post. Bloomberg followed hours later, and Dow Jones had to pick up the story from media reports a day later.