This is the first comprehensive study of the company’s history between 1933 and 1945: SCHUFA commissioned independent scholars to examine its history during the Nazi era. The historical research firm D.I.E. Firmenhistoriker conducted the study on the organization’s structures and key figures during the Nazi regime.

The researchers address the following questions: What role did SCHUFA play in the economic system of National Socialism? Was the data collected by SCHUFA misused by the Nazis? What became of the Jewish founders of SCHUFA and the members of its board of directors?

SCHUFA is publishing the findings of the independent report by historians Dr. Matthäus Wehowski, Dr. Dennis Basaldella, and Dr. Rainer Lächele. After all, this is part of a company’s responsibility toward its history.

The report on the history of SCHUFA during the Nazi era was prepared by the agency D.I.E. Firmenhistoriker GmbH. SCHUFA commissioned the agency to critically examine its own history and document it transparently. In their report, the independent historians reach the following conclusions:

  • Based on the sources analyzed, there is no evidence of any significant structural involvement of SCHUFA in the Nazi system.
  • During the Nazi era, SCHUFA was an economically significant company that operated in a niche market and was therefore not a primary target of the Nazis’ efforts at “Gleichschaltung.” Its continued existence was also facilitated by the regime’s interest in maintaining functioning economic structures.
  • SCHUFA's operations were increasingly restricted by the wartime economy beginning in the late 1930s.
  • Based on all currently available sources, there is no evidence that the data held by the Berlin-based SCHUFA or its local branches was misused for the purposes of the Nazi regime.
  • SCHUFA used only data relevant to creditworthiness and no data such as ethnicity, religious affiliation, or political views.
  • SCHUFA was founded in 1927 by the Jewish lawyers and entrepreneurs Dr. Kurt Meyer, Dr. Walter Gerhard Meyer, and Dr. Robert Kauffmann. The first administrative committee was also predominantly Jewish.
  • With the Nazis' rise to power, the Jewish founders and members of the administrative committee faced increasing restrictions, were forced out of their positions, and were compelled to emigrate.
  • Dr. Kurt Meyer played a special role: He was SCHUFA’s first managing director and a key figure in its early development. He remained in office for a relatively long time—compared to other companies. In 1937, however, he was forced out of his position and compelled to emigrate.
  • After World War II, Kurt Meyer returned to Germany from exile and actively supported the nationwide reconstruction of SCHUFA.

The historians' full report is available as a PDF document.

The aim of the report was to comprehensively examine the role of SCHUFA during the Nazi era, as well as the fate of its Jewish leaders. This is the first time that a credit bureau such as SCHUFA has commissioned a study of its history. The research was made particularly difficult by one historical event: On February 5, 1945, the SCHUFA building in Berlin was completely destroyed by an Allied bombing raid.

“Important documents regarding SCHUFA’s business development and its staff from that period no longer exist. Extensive external research was therefore necessary for the report. We then had to evaluate and piece together these fragments of historical records,” says Dr. Rainer Lächele, a historian with a Ph.D. and managing director of the historical research firm D.I.E. Firmenhistoriker GmbH.

For the study, the historians analyzed more than 70 archives, institutions, and databases in Germany, Poland, the United States, Argentina, and Switzerland. These included, among others, the Federal Archives, the archives of the Berlin Museum of Technology, the Berlin State Archives, the Saxon State Archives, and the Berlin Compensation Authority. They were also granted access to SCHUFA’s internal records, which have been complete since SCHUFA was reestablished in 1951.

1933

  • March 17–18, 1933:
    Shortly after the National Socialists seized power on March 30, January 1933, SCHUFA co-founder Dr. Robert Kauffmann was arrested as part of the “Gleichschaltung” (co-alignment) of Bewag and forced to resign.
  • March 30, 1933:
    Robert Kauffmann fled Germany with his family and went into exile in London.
  • April 21, 1933:
    Dr. Walter Gerhard Meyer loses his position as authorized signatory and managing director of Bewag following political pressure. Shortly thereafter, he, too, leaves Germany and flees to Buenos Aires via Brussels and then Genoa.
  • At the end of 1933
    , the Jewish members of the SCHUFA Administrative Committee resigned from their positions and/or fled abroad. This marked the end of the influential role played by the Jewish founding generation in the company’s management. Only Kurt Meyer remained in his position until 1937.

1934

  • With more than 464,000 credit reports issued, Berlin-based SCHUFA has reached an all-time high. Although the political situation has changed dramatically, SCHUFA’s economic importance continues to grow for the time being.

1935

  • June 1935
    : Kurt Meyer is forced to sign a new and significantly less favorable employment contract as managing director of SCHUFA: His salary is reduced, and the contract is now valid for only one year. With the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws in September 1935, the situation for Jewish citizens deteriorated further.

1937

  • March 31 / April 1, 1937
    : Dr. Kurt Meyer steps down as managing director of SCHUFA in Berlin and is forced to emigrate, first to London and then, beginning in 1939, to Argentina. This marks the end of the active involvement of the last of the three founders in the company.

1939

  • September 1, 1939
    As early as 1938, demand for credit reports began to decline significantly. With the outbreak of World War II, the consumer credit business collapsed entirely. SCHUFA increasingly focused on managing and maintaining its database.

1945

  • February 5, 1945
    : An air raid destroys the SCHUFA in Berlin. The index card archive and nearly all company records are lost.
  • May 1945
    : With the end of World War II, the process that would later lead to the reorganization of SCHUFA began. Starting in 1955, co-founder Dr. Kurt Meyer—who had returned from exile—was among the key figures in the reconstruction effort.

D.I.E. Firmenhistoriker GmbH specializes in research on corporate and economic history. Founded in 2001, the agency prepares independent expert reports on historical issues, particularly regarding the role of companies and institutions during the Nazi era. The historians are based in Aalen and Berlin.