Danish and Swiss Banks To Charge Customers 0.75% Interest on Large Deposits

Jyske Bank said on Friday people with more than $111,100 in their bank accounts will be charged more for their deposits as it seeks to pass on some of the costs of recent rate cuts by the European and Danish central bank.

Jyske Bank, Denmark’s second-largest bank, said it would introduce a negative interest rate of 0.75% for all corporate deposits and for private clients depositing more than 750,000 Danish crowns ($111,100) from Dec 1.

Last week, Denmark’s central bank cut its key deposit rate to minus 0.75%, a record low among developed economies. “It is a lot of money and we have to pass on part of this bill to our customers,” he said. “I don’t hope that we will have to go lower but I don’t dare to promise it.”.

Denmark’s largest bank, Danske Bank has said it has no plans to introduce negative interest rates on deposits. Switzerland’s UBS has said it will impose a negative rate of 0.75% on clients who deposit more than 2 million Swiss francs ($2 million). ($1 = 6.7559 Danish crowns)

Simple Question

If you live in Denmark and have a bank account in excess of $100,000 or so, why would you have it at Jyske Bank which charges 0.75% while Danske Bank, the country’s largest bank doesn’t?

Possibilities

1. There is something seriously wrong at Danske Bank and people don’t trust it.
2. Danske Bank welcomes deposits and can do something with the money. But if so, at what risk?

Any Danish readers care to answer?

Perhaps we have an answer from Bloomberg in the following discussion.

Jyske Shares Jump on Interest Rate Charge

Bloomberg reports Negative Rates Just Got Real for a Record Group of Bank Clients

Shares in Jyske closed more than 5% higher marking their best performance since December 2017, as investors calculated the impact that the new policy will have on the bank’s net interest income.

Jyske has “set the ball rolling,” said Per Hansen, an investment economist at broker Nordnet.

Other Bank Comments

• A Danske Bank spokesman said, “We cannot comment on competitors’ prices and have nothing new to add on the matter.” The bank has previously promised to protect retail depositors from negative rates.
• Nordea Bank Abp spokeswoman Tenna Schoer said the Danish unit is “monitoring the situation closely.” The bank’s CEO Frank Vang-Jensen has previously said Nordea can’t rule out imposing negative rates on retail depositors.
• Sydbank, which has already said it will impose negative rates on retail depositors with over 7.5 million kroner, is monitoring the situation. “We have taken note of developments in the market and have seen that interest rates have fallen further,” said Jan Svarre, deputy CEO at the bank. “We’ll investigate our options and where the limit should be, and then we will return and notify our customers directly.”

Per Hansen commented “imposing such a policy is politically difficult for Danske, given its recent history of financial scandals. The bank is being investigated for a $220 billion money-laundering affair, and has been reported to the police for a separate case in which it overcharged retail investors.”

Bonus Questions

1. What happens to Danske if all the Danish money flees to Danske?
2. What happens if everybody takes their money and runs?

Regardless of the answers, I expect to see an increased demand for gold, the US dollar, US treasuries, and safes as these pass-through policies escalate.

Please recall what happened in Japan on far less negative rates: Safes Sold Out in Japan: Customers Hoard Cash in Response to Negative Rates

A week ago I commented on the ECB’s Counterproductive QE: Whatever It Takes Morphs Into “As Long As It Takes”

European banks are getting killed on these policies.

Ball is Rolling

Jyske has “set the ball rolling,” said Per Hansen.

Yes, and if Central Banks stick with their “as long as it takes” approach, the results are likely to be disastrous.

Reprinted with permission from Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis.