[HIGHLIGHTS] Thousands of savings bank customers will receive huge refunds - many other banks will probably be affected

Sparkasse Berlin increased fees without customer consent. Now a court ruling could give many of those affected a refund, and not just in the capital.

Sparkasse KölnBonn proceedings are suspended to await the outcome at Berliner Sparkasse. If the Berlin ruling stands, customers can demand this money back from their bank or savings bank. And not just customers of Sparkasse Berlin, but possibly also of other banking institutions. They are said to have increased their fees by up to 65 percent between January 2018 and December 2022. It's not just about the fees for account management, but also the costs for transfers, SMS-Tan or account statements. A Verivox survey recently showed that half of current accounts have become more expensive in the last two years. According to focus.de, the following financial institutions are threatened with concrete effects: In addition to many regional savings banks, Volksbanks and Landesbanken, these could also include Deutsche Bank, ING Diba and Commerzbank.