Germany’s chancellor decried “unfriendly attacks” on banks after UniCredit moved to raise its stake in the lender.

Italian bank UniCredit (OTCPK:UNCFF) (OTCPK:UNCRY) said Monday it increased its stake in Commerzbank (OTCPK:CRZBF) (OTCPK:CRZBY) to around 21% through financial instruments and submitted an application to own up to 29.

UniCredit is "doing well" to act within the European Union's internal market, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Class CNBC network on Monday, commenting on the Milan-based bank interest for Germany's Commerzbank.