Hoerner Bank

Hoerner Bank AG is a German private bank headquartered in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 1849, it began as an agency assisting emigrants to America and developed over time into a specialist banking institution with a distinctive focus on the recovery and administration of international inheritances. Alongside this specialist activity, the bank provides wealth management, asset investment and management, financial and inheritance planning, insurance-related services, retirement provision, and regional banking services. The institution’s origins are closely linked to nineteenth-century German emigration. Its early business helped emigrants and their families deal with financial and administrative matters connected with the United States. In 1903, the enterprise adopted the name Amerikanisches Bankgeschäft Eugen Hoerner & Carl Laiblin. It later operated as Eugen Hoerner GmbH Spezialbankgeschäft zur Erhebung von Erbschaften in Amerika, reflecting the increasingly specialized role it played in tracing and collecting American inheritances. The business was entered in the commercial register in 1934 and changed its legal form from a limited-liability company to a joint-stock company in 1996. International probate work remains the brand’s defining area of differentiation. Hoerner Bank describes itself as one of Germany’s oldest and largest inheritance mediators and as one of three global market leaders in the processing of international inheritance matters. This work involves identifying heirs, researching estates, coordinating with overseas correspondents, and supporting the settlement of cross-border inheritance claims. According to the cited reference material, the relevant divisions employ approximately 60 people and are supported by a broad network of international correspondents. The bank also operates as a regional financial institution. Its services include conventional banking, asset investment and management, private banking, financial planning, inheritance planning, insurance, and retirement planning. The institution has its main office in Heilbronn and representative offices in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. Its corporate structure includes Hoerner Immobilien GmbH and Hoerner Polska, a subsidiary based in Warsaw. The bank is a member of the Association of German Banks and participates in the deposit-protection scheme for Germany’s private banking sector. Hoerner Bank remains a relatively small specialist institution rather than a mass-market banking group. The reference material reports a workforce of 102 employees. Its positioning rests on the combination of personal banking advice, regional relationships, and uncommon expertise in international estate matters. In 2021, WirtschaftsWoche recognized the bank as one of Germany’s best asset managers for the third consecutive time. This recognition supported its profile in wealth management, while its historical inheritance business continued to provide the strongest point of distinction from conventional German private and regional banks.

Hoerner Bank traces its origins to 1849, when it was established as an agency for emigrants to America. Its initial role connected the institution with the financial and administrative needs of German emigrants and their families, creating an early international orientation that later became central to its banking identity. In 1903, the business became Amerikanisches Bankgeschäft Eugen Hoerner & Carl Laiblin. The name reflected its emphasis on American-related financial matters. Over the following decades, the institution developed a more specialized inheritance service and later operated as Eugen Hoerner GmbH Spezialbankgeschäft zur Erhebung von Erbschaften in Amerika. The designation described a banking business focused on the recovery of inheritances in the United States. The company was entered in the commercial register in 1934. The bank’s historical experience in emigration-related affairs provided a foundation for its modern international inheritance business. This activity includes research into overseas estates, identification of heirs, communication with foreign institutions and correspondents, and assistance with the settlement of cross-border inheritance claims. Hoerner Bank is described in the reference material as one of Germany’s oldest and largest inheritance mediators and as one of three global market leaders in processing international inheritance matters. The institution broadened its activities beyond inheritance services to include asset investment and management, private banking, financial planning, inheritance planning, insurance, retirement provision, and conventional regional banking. Its principal office is in Heilbronn, with representative offices in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. The group also includes Hoerner Immobilien GmbH and Hoerner Polska in Warsaw. A major corporate change occurred in 1996, when the bank changed its legal form from a limited-liability company to a joint-stock company. It operates as Hoerner Bank AG and remains a privately oriented German banking institution. The bank is a member of the Association of German Banks and participates in the deposit-insurance scheme of the German private banking sector. The cited company description reports a workforce of 102 employees, including approximately 60 employees in the inheritance-related divisions, supplemented by international correspondents. This structure reflects the bank’s specialist rather than mass-market model. It serves clients through personal advice and a combination of wealth management, planning, regional banking, and international estate expertise. In 2021, WirtschaftsWoche named Hoerner Bank one of Germany’s best asset managers for the third time in succession. The recognition highlighted its asset-management activities, while the institution’s historic international inheritance capability remained its principal distinguishing characteristic.

1. 2021Recognition as a leading German asset manager

   WirtschaftsWoche named the bank one of Germany’s best asset managers for the third consecutive time.

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2. 1996Conversion to a joint-stock company

   Hoerner Bank changed its legal form from a limited-liability company to a joint-stock company.

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3. 1934Entry in the commercial register

   The specialist banking business was entered in the commercial register under its inheritance-focused corporate form.

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4. 1903Adoption of the Amerikanisches Bankgeschäft name

   The business became Amerikanisches Bankgeschäft Eugen Hoerner & Carl Laiblin, formalizing its America-focused banking identity.

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5. 1849Business founded as an agency for emigrants to America

   The institution began by assisting emigrants to America and their families with related financial and administrative matters.

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A specialist German private bank combining regional banking and wealth-management services with long-standing expertise in cross-border inheritance research and settlement.

• International inheritance servicesEstate and probate services

  Hoerner Bank’s distinctive specialist offering covers the research, recovery, and settlement of inheritances involving multiple countries, historically with a strong connection to the United States. The work can involve locating heirs, researching estates, coordinating with foreign institutions, and working through international correspondents. The bank presents this business as one of the oldest and largest inheritance-mediation activities in Germany and as a major international specialization.

• Asset management and private bankingWealth management

  The bank provides investment-related advice and management for private clients. Its private-banking activity forms part of a broader relationship model that combines asset management with financial planning and personal banking support. The offering contributes to Hoerner Bank’s positioning as a specialist private institution rather than a large universal bank.

• Financial and inheritance planningFinancial planning

  Hoerner Bank offers planning services addressing financial assets, inheritance arrangements, and related personal financial needs. These services complement its international probate expertise and allow the institution to support clients before and after inheritance events. Specific product terms, eligibility requirements, and pricing are not provided in the cited material.

• Insurance and retirement provisionPersonal financial services

  Insurance and old-age pension provision are included among the bank’s stated business areas. They broaden its advisory relationship beyond deposits and investments and fit its broader financial-planning model. The available reference does not identify individual insurance carriers, pension products, or current commercial names.

• 2021Hoerner Bank recognized among Germany's best asset managers

  WirtschaftsWoche named Hoerner Bank one of the best asset managers in Germany for the third consecutive time.

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1. Hoerner Bank