Economics

Germany Stands by Savers as Negative Rates Threaten Cash Pile

  • Finance minister looks into possible ban on deposit charges
  • Steps to limits banks’ options could escalate spat with ECB

City workers exit the Taunusanlage S-Bahn underground railway station in Frankfurt.

Photographer: Peter Juelich/Bloomberg
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Most Germans live by the credo that saving is a virtue, but the European Central Bank’s negative interest rates risk making a mockery of the national obsession, prompting politicians to seek ways to insulate thrifty citizens and keep the burden on the country’s beleaguered banks.