German finance ministry notes possible ECB review of Deutsche shareholders, declines further comment

A regulatory source told Reuters that the ECB, Europe's top banking regulator, may launch a so-called ownership control procedure to scrutinize both Qatar's royal family and China's HNA , which each own just under 10 percent of the shares of Germany's flagship lender.

"We have taken notice of the reports," the spokeswoman said during a regular government news conference. "I have nothing to add."

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr, editing by Thomas Escritt)