The independent German research organization "Institute for Banking and Financial History" was founded in 1969 as "Institute for historical research on banks". Its origins were a small institution which were not much more than a One-Man-Show by the banking journalist Erich Achterberg. With the support of banks and academia it soon developed into a scientific institution, representing the emancipation of an important branch of German economics and economic history. From the onset it mirrored the discussions on dealing with the methodology of banking research. One major impulse for securing archival sources in banks was the dispute with GDR marxist accusers regarding the role of banks during Nazi Germany.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Scholtyseck, Universität Bonn