One can almost get the impression that many banks have been surprised that there will ever be positive interest rates again.
A number of German institutes are still in the middle of legal disputes about the admissibility of negative interest rates.
And recently the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf had transferred another 1.24 million euros in savings money to be deposited with the district court because the account holders did not respond to letters with which negative interest rates were to be introduced.
Thankfully, that era seems to be over now.
Negative interest rates are gradually disappearing.
And the first institutes are even offering positive interest rates on the call money account again.
Sometimes it just seems to be about "bread and circuses" to keep customers happy: Financially, even the higher interest rates are marginal and, after deducting inflation, deep in the red.
However, a phenomenon can also be observed that has often appeared in similar situations: Exotic or less well-known banks, some from other EU countries, tempt with somewhat higher interest rates than the average.
However, it is more than questionable whether it is worth transferring your money there for a few tenths of a percentage point.
Experiences with institutions such as Greensill Bank, the Portuguese Banco Espírito Santo, the Bulgarian Fibank and before that the Icelandic Bank Kaupthing showed that risk premiums on savings interest are sometimes paid by banks for a reason.