Merkel declines comment on U.S. penalty for Deutsche Bank

German Chancellor Angela Merkel declined to comment on Friday on the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to demand $14 billion from Deutsche Bank [DBKGn.DE] to settle claims the lender missold mortgage-backed securities.

"I think it's wise not to comment on this news from my side," Merkel said when asked by a Reuters correspondent what she thought of the penalty and whether Berlin might be willing to support Deutsche Bank.

The German finance ministry said earlier on Friday that the government expected a "fair result" from the negotiations but that the talks were a matter for the bank and the American authorities.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke und Noah Barkin; Writing by Michael Nienaber)