Firms fear more expensive or reduced services following merger
UBS has warned of 39;repricing39; to come
Availability of credit is biggest concern
Swiss pricing watchdog following situation closely

ZURICH, June 12 Reuters UBS39;s takeover of Credit Suisse has fed a creeping anxiety that Swiss companies will pay a price for the enlarged bank39;s outsize market strength.

The historic 2023 deal created a bank with a balance sheet twice the size of the Swiss economy, and at a stroke eliminated one of the two giants of the Swiss banking landscape.

It also narrowed the financing options for the country39;s highcost, highly competitive exportorientated companies, especially with Credit Suisse seen as the bank which supported entrepreneurs in areas like export finance.

UBS Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti says market competition is robust, and that his bank would only be the secondlargest player after cantonal lenders in most product areas.

Still, last month Ermotti said Credit Suisse had run an unsustainable business model, too much cost, too little revenue, too much risk, hinting at price increases.

Services and credit were subsidised or priced at an unacceptable level, well below where UBS prices, and well below where every competitor prices. So, it39;s true that in a selective way, we39;re going to have to relook at repricing things, he said.

The bank pointed to Ermotti39;s remarks when asked for comment on this story, but declined to quantify prospective changes….