When the Federal Finance Minister at the time and today's Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, under the impression of the Wirecard debacle, presented his reform plans for the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), he wanted to create "supervision with bite".
To do this, he brought in Mark Branson from the Swiss financial regulator.
This arrives in the banks, although he does not go on a cosy-course with them.
Before biting, he shows his teeth.
Branson is right about that.
Because the banks are facing difficult times, even if the markets are currently banking on a mild recession.
Therefore, a "supervision with bite" must now register doubts so that confidence does not become cockiness.
It is better to take precautions in good time so as not to be overwhelmed later by a wave of loan defaults.
After all, the banks can fall back on the equity buffer that is now to be increased once the economy has found its way back onto the path to recovery.
The fact that the lending business is declining is not due to supervision, but to the difficult environment in which credit demand is falling.