from
Sonja Salzburger
If you don’t complain, you agree – banks and savings banks have acted according to this motto for many years. In the event of changes to the general terms and conditions, such as the introduction or increase of fees for the current account, the financial institutions have informed their customers and granted a period of objection. If the customers did not object, the banks took it as approval. At the end of April this year, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled: This so-called “fictitious consent” is inadmissible. Banks must expressly agree price increases with their customers and obtain their consent. This also means: The financial institutions are now obliged to repay unlawfully agreed fees.